The petition can be accessed at: www.usdaw.org.uk/T4BP Usdaw is asking members and all who agree that workers deserve better pay and rights to sign the petition and share it with friends, family and colleagues.
 
Paddy Lillis - Usdaw General Secretary says: “The ‘time for better pay’ petition was launched to end job insecurity and help working people make ends meet. Having reached the first milestone of 10,000 signatures, we were deeply disappointed by the Government’s woefully inadequate response.
 
“They failed to engage with the evidence we provided and snubbed the petition. Usdaw’s research has shown that the so called ‘National Living Wage’ does not live up to its name. Our survey identified that 54% of low paid workers are regularly having to miss meals just to pay the bills. The Conservatives need to understand they have created a perfect storm of low pay, insecurity and working poverty.
 
“So it was clear that we have to push on for the 100,000 signatures that would provide the opportunity for the petition to be debated in the House of Commons. Our aim is to persuade MPs to back £10 an hour and more secure contracts, which would boost minimum wage workers’ full-time pay by a much needed £2,640 a year.
 
“Usdaw’s ‘time for better pay’ campaign is calling on the Government to tackle low pay and insecure work. We need real and urgent improvements to workers’ rights to deliver an economy that works for all working people.”
 
Usdaw’s ‘Time for better pay’ campaign is calling on the Government to strengthen workers’ rights by introducing:

• A minimum wage rate of at least £10 per hour for all workers.
• Minimum contracts of 16 hours per week for everyone who wants one.
• Contracts based on an individual’s normal hours of work.
• An end to zero-hours contracts.

For more information: www.usdaw.org.uk/T4BP
 
Usdaw’s survey of over 10,000 working people about their experiences of low pay, short-hours contracts and insecure work shows that stronger employment rights are urgently needed:

• Over the past five years, 92% of those surveyed have seen no improvement in their financial situation.
• Over the past 12 months 76% of low-paid workers have had to rely on unsecured borrowing to pay everyday bills.
• 63% of people believe that financial worries are having an impact on their mental health.

Notes for editors:
 
Usdaw (Union of Shop, Distributive and Allied Workers) is the UK's fifth biggest and the fastest growing trade union with over 420,000 members. Membership has increased by more than one-third over the last couple of decades. Most Usdaw members work in the retail sector, but the union also has many members in transport, distribution, food manufacturing, chemicals and other trades.
 
For Usdaw press releases visit: http://www.usdaw.org.uk/news and you can follow us on Twitter @UsdawUnion