The coronavirus emergency has brought about a new understanding of the essential role retail workers have in keeping our communities fed, healthy and safe. Usdaw’s consistent calls for shopworkers to be respected and valued are being heard, but that must not fade into the background when this national crisis passes. 

There must be lasting and fundamental changes to the way society views our lowest paid workers. We need a New Deal for the workers employed in our supermarkets, distribution warehouses, food processing sites and home delivery operations. A new deal on pay, a real living wage, an end to insecure employment and action to ensure that retail jobs are no longer underpaid and undervalued.

#SolidarityWithShopworkers is not just a phrase for a crisis and the issues our members face are not new, but amplified in this emergency situation. Their key worker status has brought with it very welcome public applause and government recognition. 

Usdaw has been urging the government to acknowledge retail workers as a fundamental part of the economy, through our Save Our Shops campaign and industrial strategy for retail, campaigning to change perceptions about the sector and its workers. 

Retail work is physically demanding and mentally challenging, involving multi-skilling in a high pressure, profit driven and target-led environment. Yet often retail work is seen as transient and retail workers as disposable. 

While it should not have taken a global pandemic to change this, it is still a welcome development. The time has come for society, government and business to recognise and reward this valuable contribution with real and meaningful change – the time has come for a New Deal for retail workers and our other key workers.  

We need to address the fact that many of the key workers in essential roles are low-paid. Some claim this isn’t the right time for that discussion, but it never seems to be the right time. We are not being opportunistic in a crisis, Usdaw and the trade union movement have been calling for  £10 per hour for a number of years. 

It cannot be right that essential workers in supermarkets, who are keeping our communities fed are then visiting foodbanks to feed their own families.

The challenge for retail workers goes beyond pay. Short-hours contracts mean that retail workers are often unable to access mortgages, enter contracts such as for mobile phone bills or be sure of their ability to pay everyday bills such as gas and electric. They need firm guarantees over the hours they work with a minimum of 16 hours per week contracts that reflect their normal working hours.  

However, the New Deal for  Workers is about more than just pay and benefits. It must be built on a respect for retail workers and the long-term future of retail work.  

The undervaluing of retail workers is certainly a contributing factor in the growing levels of abuse taking place against staff on the shop floor. This issue has come under a spotlight in the current climate especially in light of panic buying and social distancing measures. 

Abuse doubled over the last few weeks, which is shocking at a time when we should all be working together to get through this crisis.

We have very real concerns about the safety of staff during the coronavirus emergency and Usdaw has worked with the British Retail Consortium on guidelines for safer workplaces. 

Too many employers tried to carry on regardless, particularly those anti-union businesses who do not listen to staff and deny them a collective voice. This crisis has absolutely demonstrated the vital role of union health and safety reps, risk assessing workplaces and securing appropriate safety measures and they will be crucial as and when we start to gradually exit lockdown. 

Surely this is not the right time for employers to be locking out unions and forcing staff to continue to work in unsafe conditions.

In all my years as a union rep and official I have never known a situation that has had such a dramatic impact on Usdaw members in every single workplace across the country. 

I am always proud of Usdaw reps and members, but I have never been as proud as now. Their response in supporting members, who are suffering high levels of anxiety, has been nothing short of incredible. 

This crisis is bringing about fundamental changes to the way we live, it’s changing our values and shining a light on the changes our society needs. We cannot go back to the bad old ways of undervaluing workers #SolidarityWithShopworkers

Usdaw’s New Deal for Retail Workers includes:

• A national minimum wage of at least £10 per hour.
• Minimum guaranteed hours of at least 16 hours per week.  
• An end to zero-hours contracts.
• Employment contract to reflect their normal hours of work.
• Employment rights from day one.  
• Respect for workers.
• Statutory sick pay from day one of illness.
• Universal Credit to be replaced by a social security system that properly supports low-paid workers.
• Fair treatment and equality for all workers. 

Paddy Lillis is general secretary of Usdaw.