Usdaw, the retail workers' union, is calling for the Chancellor to scrap the £500 increase in the Energy Price Guarantee, given that wholesale prices are now falling and consumers have already suffered a more than doubling of average bills since last winter.
Usdaw is also calling for a new deal for workers to end poverty pay and insecure employment.
Paddy Lillis – Usdaw General Secretary says that the ongoing cost of living crisis is a key challenge for the Spring Budget as skyrocketing prices, along with huge increases in energy and fuel costs, leave too many workers struggling to make ends meet.
“Average household energy costs are set to rise by £500 per year in April, which amounts to a near trebling since last winter. The Energy Bills Support Scheme is now also coming to an end, with the final £67 payment being made to households in March. So we are calling for that increase to be scrapped and an end to rip-off prepayment meters.
Usdaw’s call for a "New Deal for Workers" includes minimum wage of at least £12 per hour immediately, minimum contract of 16 hours per week, better sick pay for all workers and protection at work.
“Beneath the headline statistics are frightening increases in the prices of basics, which hit those on the lowest income hardest. Food and drink inflation is much higher, with many staple items like milk, eggs, bread and potatoes rising at twice the headline rate. That clearly demonstrates the scale of the challenge for workers struggling to make ends meet.
“Short-term support with current cost of living pressures is crucial, but the Chancellor needs to look at lasting solutions with a new deal for workers. A new deal that makes work pay with an immediate £12 per hour minimum wage for all workers, regardless of age, as a step towards £15. Alongside this, we need an end to one-sided flexibility, along with a ban on zero and short hours contracts to provide much needed security of employment and income," Lillis said.
