Speaking after the speech in the Brighton Centre, Paddy Lillis – Usdaw general secretary says: “What a contrast, to have a Prime Minister address our Congress, after 14 years of the Tories barely willing to engage with trade unions and going out of their way to attack our members’ rights. Keir’s address was an honest account of where our broken economy stands, after it was trashed by the Conservatives. He laid bare the hard work and tough choices that will have to be taken as we head towards the light at the end of the tunnel, to deliver new hope for the country.
“Keir set out how he will fix the foundations to secure that new hope. He rightly understands that raising living standards through Labour’s new deal for workers is fundamental to delivering growth in every community. The Government has already reformed the Low Pay Commission’s remit to now deliver a real living wage and an end to rip-off youth rates. Labour’s levelling up of workers’ rights will help secure the productivity gains and growth the country so desperately needs, which in turn will deliver prosperity for all.”
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:http://www.usdaw.org.uk/news and you can follow us on Twitter/X @UsdawUnion