Usdaw President Jane Jones opens the 2025 Annual Delegate Meeting with a message of hope under a Labour Government

Addressing delegates, Jane Jones – Usdaw President said: “We are meeting under different circumstances this year, because I am delighted to be opening conference under a Labour Government, for the first time in 15 years. We did it! What a relief it is I can finally say that after 14 years of Tory rule, we have a Labour Prime Minister, a Labour Government, a Labour future.

“The Employment Rights Bill is making its way through Parliament and this is going to deliver the biggest upgrade to employment rights in a generation. It will end exploitative zero and short hours contracts, end the three-day waiting period for Statutory Sick Pay, and remove the lower earnings limit, making sure that the lowest paid workers are no longer forced to choose between their health and making ends meet.

"The Crime and Policing Bill is also on its way through Parliament and the Bill includes a stand-alone offence of assaulting a retail worker. I've worked in retail for more than 20 years. I have seen and heard horrific incidents of abuse against my colleagues.  Many will have stopped short of reporting the crime, going through the trauma of being assaulted at work and knowing justice won't be done. It felt hopeless, but I am hopeful those feelings and experiences of the past will stay right there, in the past, because we have a government that champions retail workers.  

“The work doesn't stop, our members will encounter some challenges in the year ahead. Unity is always strength, so let's remember this as we move into a new future for our union and our country. We have a Labour Government who is listening to us and we have an opportunity to change workers lives for the better.”