Across England, Wales and Scotland voters will be going to the polls in elections for devolved assemblies, directly elected mayors, police and crime commissioners, local councils and a parliamentary by-election. In Scotland and Wales 16 and 17 year olds will be able to vote. Polls are open 7am to 10pm and you can find your polling station at:
http://iwillvote.org.uk/?nc=1
Paddy Lillis – Usdaw General Secretary says: “Usdaw is urging our members to vote today and asking them to support their local Labour candidates. Labour is focussed on making Britain stronger and fairer as we recover from the pandemic and rejects business as usual.
“Millions of low-paid workers have provided essential services to help ensure the country is fed, healthy and safe through the lockdown and will continue to do so. Usdaw members employed in supermarkets across the food and pharmaceutical supply chains and the funeral industry welcomed the key worker status, but that respect and appreciation must not fade into the background when this national crisis passes.
“Whether it’s your local council and the services they provide, a Police and Crime Commissioner who can influence the police’s priorities in your community, a mayor with the power to boost the local economy and secure jobs, or the Scottish and Welsh Governments who can make a real difference over virtually every area of your life, use your vote and have your say.
“The retail sector has been impacted by the coronavirus pandemic on an unprecedented scale and local councils will have a major role in helping our high streets to recover. I’m pleased that Labour is taking action on this important issue and has set up a new independent Commission on Rebuilding Our High Streets, on which I will be speaking up for retail workers and advising on a strategy to help the retail industry out of crisis.
“Police and Crime Commissioners are crucial in ensuring that there is a robust response to the growing problem of violence, threats and abuse against shopworkers, which doubled during the pandemic and remains very high. Labour PCCs support Usdaw’s call for new protection of shopworkers’ law, to provide stiffer penalties for those who assault retail staff, like the one won by Labour MSP Daniel Johnson in the Scottish Parliament.
“A vote for Labour today is a vote to build a stronger, fairer Britain after the pandemic.”
Notes for editors:
Usdaw (Union of Shop, Distributive and Allied Workers) is the UK's fifth biggest trade union with over 400,000 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