Paddy Lillis – Usdaw General Secretary says: “While the Government has been paralysed by internal scandal and focused on desperate attempts to save a discredited PM; working people have been struggling to make ends meet in the midst of the Tories’ cost of living crisis. The Government’s repeated failure to bring forward a promised employment bill means there has not been a much needed new deal for workers.
“The Prime Minister’s omnishambles has lurched from one crisis to another, with widespread law-breaking, tolerance of appalling behaviour and a disregard for the ministerial code of conduct across the Government. In the meantime working people are suffering in low-paid and insecure work at a time when prices, fuel and energy costs are rocketing.
“It is time for a change, he cannot continue as a caretaker. The ministers who stayed to the bitter end or resigned at the eleventh hour, along with the Conservative party as a whole have absolutely no credibility. This is the third PM in six years to be brought down by Tory infighting. We need an election and a Labour Government to turn around the economy and get the country back on track.”
Usdaw’s New Deal for Workers calls for:
- Minimum wage of at least £12 per hour as a step towards £15 for all workers, ending rip-off youth rates.
- Minimum contract of 16 hours per week, for everyone who wants it, that reflects normal hours worked and a ban on zero-hour contracts.
- Better sick pay for all workers, from day one, at average earnings.
- Protection at work, respect for shopworkers, abuse is not a part of the job.
- Proper social security system, Universal Credit does not provide an effective safety net.
- Job security, with day one employment rights for unfair dismissal and significant improvements to redundancy protections.
- Fair treatment and equality for all workers, including equal pay.
- Voice at work, stop rogue employers refusing to engage with trade unions and end ‘fire and rehire’.
Notes for editors:
Usdaw (Union of Shop, Distributive and Allied Workers) is the UK's fifth biggest trade union with around 360,000 members. Most Usdaw members work in the retail sector, but the union also has many members in transport, distribution, food manufacturing, chemical industry and other trades.
For Usdaw press releases visit: http://www.usdaw.org.uk/news and you can follow us on Twitter
@UsdawUnion