Paddy Lillis – Usdaw general secretary says: “In extremely difficult circumstances, we are pleased that the Government is determinedly laying the foundations for growth, after 14 years of Tory stagnation. Insecure work and low pay have held our economy back, so a new deal for workers in the Employment Rights Bill and a significant increase in minimum wage rates are essential. The Police and Crime Bill will go a long way towards tackling the £4bn-a-year drain on the retail industry that shoplifting, robberies and staff assaults have.
"Many of our members working in retail rely on Universal Credit to make ends meet. The Government has initiated a wholesale review of Universal Credit and Usdaw will make clear our members' view that the welfare system should be working for ordinary people, not against them. We will be looking closely at whether the changes announced today by the Chancellor and the outcome of that review contribute to supporting low-paid working families.
“Labour inherited a broken economy and the world has changed. Today’s Spring Statement shows that the Government is getting on with the job of delivering much-needed growth. Fairness and prosperity for workers must be at the heart of the mission.”
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: www.usdaw.org.uk/news and you can follow us on Bluesky @usdawunion.bsky.social and Twitter/X @UsdawUnion