Usdaw calls for employment bill and housing bill to help low-paid workers

“Next week’s Queen’s Speech is a crucial opportunity for the Government to demonstrate they understand the depth of the cost of living crisis now impacting far too many working people, something they have failed to do so far. So we are calling for them to focus on improving employment rights and tackling the housing crisis,” Paddy Lillis – Usdaw General Secretary says.

“The Government has so far not delivered on their manifesto promise to bring forward an employment bill, which we need to improve the rights of low-paid key workers. Having worked throughout the pandemic, risking their health and too often facing abuse from customers; many key workers are still struggling in low-paid insecure employment and now face a growing cost of living crisis.

“There needs to be lasting and fundamental change to the way society views workers. We need a New Deal for Workers: a minimum wage of at least £12 per hour, an end to insecure employment, respect for shop workers and action to ensure that retail jobs are no longer underpaid and undervalued. Going to work should mean a decent standard of living for all workers.”

Usdaw’s New Deal for Workers calls for:

• Minimum wage of at least £12 per hour as a step towards £15 for all workers, ending rip-off youth rates.
• Minimum contract of 16 hours per week, for everyone who wants it, that reflects normal hours worked and a ban on zero-hour contracts.
• Better sick pay for all workers, from day one, at average earnings.
• Protection at work, respect for shopworkers, abuse is not a part of the job.
• Proper social security system, Universal Credit does not provide an effective safety net.
• Job security, with day one employment rights for unfair dismissal and significant improvements to redundancy protections.
• Fair treatment and equality for all workers, including equal pay.
• Voice at work, stop rogue employers refusing to engage with trade unions and end ‘fire and rehire’.

“The UK is in the midst of a housing crisis. According to the housing charity Shelter, over a quarter of a million people are homeless, including 126,000 children and in total, 17.5 million people are impacted by the housing emergency, living in overcrowded, dangerous, unstable or unaffordable housing,” Lillis added.