Paddy Lillis – Usdaw General Secretary says: “We welcome today’s address by Paul Nowak as he rightly addressed the huge challenges that face the country and particularly the lives of working people. He rightly identified that we need an economy that rewards work and that Labour’s promise of a new deal for workers is the best way to achieve that goal.
 
“The last 13 years are littered with Tory broken promises on employment rights. It is time for us to build a new type of economy. One where workers are properly recognised, rewarded and respected. Where we end insecure work, give working people the financial security they deserve. We urgently need a new deal for workers and that is why we welcome Labour's pledge to enact one in their first one hundred days.
 
“Their proposals will be transformative. New rights for trade unions to access workplaces and changes to the rules around recognition will help more workers to have a collective voice, defend and improve their pay, rights and conditions of employment. The Tories have failed to deliver, their time is up, we need a change and a general election as soon as possible.”
 
Notes for editors:
 
Usdaw (Union of Shop, Distributive and Allied Workers) is the UK's fifth biggest trade union with over 350,000 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 www.usdaw.org.uk
 
For Usdaw press releases visit: http://www.usdaw.org.uk/news and you can follow us on Twitter @UsdawUnion