Having a Labour Government is vital to Usdaw’s ability to deliver the best possible working lives for our members. Labour have pledged to make lots of changes that if elected, will improve the lives of not only Usdaw members but their families too.

With rocketing fuel and food bills and wages failing to keep pace with the rising cost of living, many working people and their families still face a painful cost of living crisis. Nearly three quarters of Usdaw members say they have become worse off since the last election. Child poverty has gone up by 700,000 under the Conservatives and over four million children are now growing up in a low-income family.

This financial inequality is a national scandal that Labour are committed to tackling, making Britain a fairer and more prosperous place for all.

As well as making the minimum wage a real living wage, and the many other measures in the New Deal for Working People, Labour have pledged to introduce a number of other measures that will tackle the cost of living crisis:
 

• Warm Homes Plan - Labour’s warm homes plan will invest an extra £6.6 billion over the next parliament, doubling the existing planned government investment, to upgrade five million homes. This will save families hundreds of pounds, slash fuel poverty, and get Britain back on track to meet our climate targets. They will also ensure homes in the private rented sector meet efficiency standards by 2030, saving renters hundreds of pounds per year.
• Universal Credit - Many Usdaw members have been let down by the failing Universal Credit system. Labour are committed to reviewing Universal Credit so that it makes work pay and tackles poverty.
• Protecting renters - For people living in rented accommodation Labour will legislate where the Conservatives have failed, overhauling the regulation of the private rented sector. They will abolish Section 21 ‘no fault’ evictions, prevent private renters from being exploited and discriminated against, empower them to challenge unreasonable rent increases, and take steps to decisively raise standards, including extending ‘Awaab’s Law’ to the private sector.
• Support for families - Parents struggling with the cost of living will get support through the funding of free breakfast clubs in every primary school, for all children, and opening an additional 3,000 nurseries.
• School uniform - Labour have also pledged to bring down school costs for parents by limiting the number of branded items of uniform and PE kit that schools can require.
• Child Poverty strategy - Labour have committed to develop an ambitious strategy to reduce child poverty. Working with the voluntary sector, faith organisations, trade unions, business, devolved and local government, and communities to bring about meaningful change.
• Pensions - Labour will retain the triple lock for the state pension. They will also adopt reforms to workplace pensions to deliver better outcomes for UK savers and pensioners. Labour’s pensions review will consider what further steps are needed to improve security in retirement, as well as to increase productive investment in the UK economy.

All of Labour’s plans are fully costed, and they have committed to not increasing income tax, national insurance or VAT.

You can read Labour’s full manifesto here.

For more information about how you can get involved to make sure we get that Labour Government please visit our How to Get Involved page.

Promoted by Paddy Lillis, General Secretary on behalf of Usdaw, Head Office, Voyager Building, 2 Furness Quay, Salford Quays, Manchester, M50 3XZ.