Usdaw is asking the Chancellor to address key issues on:
- Helping to save our shops with a plan for the future of retail.
- Supporting workers as they recover from the cost of living crisis.
- Making childcare more accessible for low-paid workers.
- Reforming Universal Credit and the social security system.
Full Usdaw submission: www.usdaw.org.uk/Budget2024
Paddy Lillis – Usdaw general secretary says: “We look forward to the first Budget under this new Labour Government as an opportunity to make the case for real changes that will make a real difference to our members. After 14 years of the Conservatives failing to listen to our members’ concerns, it will make a refreshing change to have a Chancellor who will act to improve the lives of workers.
“The legacy this Government inherited from the incompetent and chaotic Conservatives is extremely difficult and we know that times are tough. We understand that not everything our members need can be delivered straight away, but we will be looking to the Chancellor to provide hope and demonstrate there is light at the end of the tunnel.
“Job security is a key priority. The retail sector was already struggling before the pandemic and the cost of living crisis made matters much worse. Last year, nearly 120,000 retail jobs were lost and over 10,000 stores closed. Every job lost is a personal tragedy for the worker and their family; store closures are scarring our high streets and communities. We need action to help save our shops and retail jobs.”
Usdaw is calling for a plan for the future of retail, to include:
- Fundamental reform of business taxation affecting the retail sector.
- Reform of UK tax law to ensure that companies pay their fair share.
- Funding for local authorities so they can invest in their local economy.
- Investment in skills for retail workers.
- A new deal for retail, distribution and home delivery workers.
- Stronger corporate governance rules, to curb asset stripping.
- Promoting a greater worker voice for retail workers through trade unions.
- A review of the law on redundancy collective consultation.
Paddy Lillis continued: “Usdaw members have long struggled to secure hours of work that fit around childcare and, rather than getting easier over time, the challenges in finding affordable and accessible childcare are as acute as they ever were. Retailers continue to demand ever-greater flexibility from their staff as they revise and re-organise working hours in response to changes in consumer spending and the shift to online sales, difficult economic conditions and record numbers of store closures.”
To meet the needs of working parents, Usdaw is calling for:
- 30 funded hours of flexible childcare for all pre-school age children.
- Accessible wraparound care provision.
- Fully funded free breakfast and after school clubs available in every primary.
- Raise awareness of free entitlements and benefits that support working parents.
- The importance of meeting upfront costs for low-income families.
Paddy Lillis added: “Universal Credit continues to fail to provide adequate support for working families in need. The maximum support available has not kept pace with inflation; the 2023 increase didn’t even compensate for the shortfall in the 2022 uprating, which was the biggest fall in the real value of the basic rate of unemployment benefits in 50 years. Additionally, there are also a host of other issues with Universal Credit, which the Budget could seek to rectify.”
Usdaw is calling for a fundamental reform of Universal Credit that would include:
- Ending the 5-week wait, caused by the benefit being paid in arrears.
- Resolve monthly payments issues for those paid four-weekly, fortnightly or weekly.
- Address the two-child cap to help reduce child poverty.
- Change the rules on in-work conditionality.
- Reduce the taper rate to incentivise claimants to earn more from employment.
Paddy Lillis concluded: “While inflation has eased in recent months, working people continue to suffer as a result of the cost of living. Usdaw’s latest survey of 6,727 members, in June 2024, showed that 73% feel financially worse off than last year, over a third struggle to pay for gas and electricity every month, and six in ten are relying on borrowing to pay everyday bills. Labour’s proposed New Deal for Working People will be a key step forward in addressing the cost of living crisis. Alongside this, in the Budget, we need to see targeted support for low-income households to cope with the rising cost of essential bills.”
Notes for editors:
Usdaw (Union of Shop, Distributive and Allied Workers) is one of the fastest growing unions in the TUC and 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 www.usdaw.org.uk
For Usdaw press releases visit: http://www.usdaw.org.uk/news and you can follow us on Twitter/X @UsdawUnion