Paddy Lillis – Usdaw General Secretary says: “Many of us watched Liz Truss’ leadership campaign in horror as she demonstrated economic illiteracy by promising unfunded tax cuts, disparaged desperately needed help on rocketing energy prices as ‘handouts’ and launched ideological attacks on trade union members engaged in lawful industrial action to secure a fairer deal in the midst of a cost of living crisis. Such an attack on people protecting their incomes would clearly demonstrate the incoming Prime Minister has no understanding of the very real issues that face workers.
 
“What we need are urgent plans to eliminate low-pay and insecure work, along with tackling the cost of living crisis and action on energy prices.  The new PM would do well to adopt Keir Starmer’s plan for an energy price cap freeze that will help protect against future price shocks, along with Labour’s New Deal for Workers. With an estimated 12 million households facing fuel poverty, the British public will be disgusted with a new Prime Minister that prioritises unfunded tax cuts and attacking trade unions over tackling the cost of living crisis that the Tories themselves have created. That would be a disaster for the country!”
 
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.
 
Labour’s New Deal for Workers: www.usdaw.org.uk/LaboursNDW
 
For Usdaw press releases visit: http://www.usdaw.org.uk/news and you can follow us on Twitter @UsdawUnion