This is the fifth 10-yearly review ballot Usdaw has conducted under the legal requirements introduced by the Thatcher Government in 1984.
Paddy Lillis, Usdaw General Secretary says: “We are delighted to get this overwhelming vote of confidence in Usdaw keeping a political voice. We pride ourselves on being the campaigning union and our members have recognised the importance of this, particularly in the face of attacks on our members’ rights from the Tory Government.
“It has to be time to end this pointless red-tape and allow unions to focus time and resources on supporting members in the workplace and campaigning for better pay and employment rights.
“It is crucial that our members have retained their political voice in these difficult times, because we cannot deliver on all their aspirations by negotiation alone. We are now able to continue our important campaigns to improve workers’ lives and deliver for our members. Usdaw is currently focussed on campaigns for a new deal for workers, lobbying for action on the cost of living crisis and protection of workers from abuse, along with many other important issues.”
Notes for editors:
Usdaw (Union of Shop, Distributive and Allied Workers) is the UK's fifth biggest trade union with over 350,000 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 Twitter @UsdawUnion