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USDAW is committed to pushing “further and higher” on members’ pay amid the skyrocketing cost of living, general secretary Paddy Lillis said today.
Addressing delegates on the second day of the retail union’s 75thconference, he said that Usdaw is set to play its part in the TUC push for a new deal for workers, ahead of the union confederation’s We Demand Better rally in London on June 18.
On Sunday, members gathered in Blackpool backed a motion which commits Usdaw to press for a minimum wage of at least £12 an hour.
Despite the “huge challenges” posed by Brexit and the Covid-19 pandemic, Mr Lillis stressed that the union – which is holding its first in-person conference since 2019 – had secured some significant victories, including a big wage increase for Tesco distribution workers.
He told members in the Winter Gardens ballroom: “Not only have you been a key part of the nation’s response to the Covid crisis, you have supported your colleagues, delivering for them day in, day out. You’ve got a lot to be proud of.”
But the union has to “rebuild” after membership numbers dropped during the pandemic, Mr Lillis warned.