Usdaw | Morning Star

ALL HANDS TO THE PUMPS: Usdaw general secretary and Labour Unions chair Joanne Thomas at the Co-operative Party Conference in London, November 2025.

Workers' Rights / 29 April 2026

A new framework for trade union organising

29 April 2026

JOANNE THOMAS welcomes the Employment Rights Act as an instrument for the much-needed revitalisation of trade union membership and activism

USDAW General Secretary and Labour Unions Chair Joanne Thomas speaks during the Co-operative Party Conference at the Leonardo Royal Hotel in central London, November 15, 2025

Workers' Rights / 28 April 2026

Making trade union members’ voices heard with Labour

28 April 2026

JOANNE THOMAS argues that unions’ political voice remains vital to winning stronger rights and protections for working people

Usdaw Conference 2026 / 27 April 2026

Celebrating different minds – neurodiversity in the workplace

27 April 2026

Usdaw is working hard alongside its members to smash down barrriers facing neurodivergent workers, writes Joanne Thomas

Britain / 24 February 2026

Violence against retail staff remains at ‘unacceptable’ highs despite dropping by fifth in a year

24 February 2026

Labour Party Conference 2025 / 30 September 2025

Don’t water down guaranteed-hours rights in employment Bill, Usdaw leader warns

30 September 2025

Labour Conference 2025 / 28 September 2025

Usdaw’s Joanne Thomas becomes first woman to lead Trade Union-Labour Liaison Organisation

28 September 2025

Joanne Thomas campaigning for safe shopwork

Durham Miners’ Gala 2025 / 12 July 2025

‘The Employment Rights Bill is a monumental opportunity for unions’

12 July 2025

Incoming Usdaw general secretary JOANNE THOMAS talks to Ben Chacko about workers’ rights, Labour and how to arrest the decline of the high street

A preschool age child playing with plastic building blocks

Usdaw Conference 2025 / 7 May 2025

Usdaw warning over cutting child benefit from £120,000-earning households

7 May 2025

A new baby holding the finger of its mother

Usdaw Conference 2025 / 7 May 2025

Usdaw calls for eight week paternity leave

7 May 2025

Usdaw Conference 2025 / 7 May 2025

Usdaw’s Paddy Lillis on retiring on a high

7 May 2025

People take part in the National march for Palestine in cent

Usdaw Conference 2025 / 7 May 2025

Usdaw demands end to 'absolutely indefensible' Israel genocide

7 May 2025

A person holding a shopping basket in a supermarket

Usdaw Conference 2025 / 6 May 2025

Tesco worker tells of gunman flashbacks as Usdaw calls for end security outsourcing

6 May 2025

Usdaw Conference 2025 / 6 May 2025

Boost rates for selling solar panel energy back to the grid, Usdaw says

6 May 2025

Usdaw Conference 2025 / 6 May 2025

Trade unions should be included in the school curriculum, Usdaw says

6 May 2025

Usdaw General Secretary Elect Joanne Thomas and her daughter Abbie

Usdaw Conference 2025 / 6 May 2025

Usdaw's first woman leader says she wanted to be the 'very best' for her daughter

6 May 2025

Health Secretary Wes Streeting addressing the Usdaw annual conference in Blackpool's Winter Gardens

Usdaw Conference 2025 / 5 May 2025

Wes Streeting says Labour 'should be really worried' about Reform

5 May 2025

Usdaw conference 2025 / 6 May 2025

Reflections on difficult and challenging times as we look towards a brighter future

6 May 2025

By sticking together, working collectively and building the union, we can weather any uncertainty ahead, writes general secretary of Usdaw PADDY LILLIS

Usdaw Conference 2025 / 5 May 2025

Nationalise energy companies to win back working class trust from Reform, Usdaw delegates say

5 May 2025

Usdaw Conference 2025 / 5 May 2025

Cap holiday company price hikes, Usdaw says

5 May 2025

Alcohol for sale in an Edinburgh off-licence shop

Usdaw Conference 2025 / 5 May 2025

Eye-scanners for alcohol age-verification rejected by Usdaw delegates

5 May 2025

Britain / 23 January 2025

Sainsbury's to cut more than 3,000 jobs after ‘biggest ever’ Christmas trading period

23 January 2025

A man carrying bags in the Broadmead shopping area of Bristo

Britain / 23 December 2024

Shop staff face ‘Christmas crime wave’

23 December 2024

Britain / 12 September 2024

Supreme Court rules against Tesco's ‘fire and rehire’ tactics

12 September 2024

An elderly lady with her electric fire on at home in Liverpo

Britain / 11 September 2024

Union leader tells TUC she is ‘ashamed’ of Labour after winter fuel payment vote

11 September 2024

A Universal Credit sign on a door of a job centre plus in ea

TUC Congress 2024 / 10 September 2024

Universal credit is not fit for purpose

10 September 2024

We need a proper social security system that supports families and provides a proper safety net, writes PADDY LILLIS, calling for the Labour government to lift the cruel two-child benefit cap

A shopper walking through the aisle of a supermarket

Britain / 29 August 2024

Shopworkers facing ‘epidemic’ of retail crime eager for Labour to tackle shoplifting, Usdaw says

29 August 2024

Britain / 30 May 2024

Thousands of shopworkers have suffered harm due to Tory ‘dithering’ on retail crime, Usdaw says

30 May 2024

Features / 21 May 2024

Building our movement to address the challenges of AI and failing high streets

21 May 2024

Last year an estimated 120,000 retail workers lost their jobs and nearly 10,000 shops closed — Usdaw regional secretary MIKE WALKER calls for action to protect workers in the rapidly changing retail sector

Labour Party leader Keir Starmer, holds a meeting with membe

Britain / 1 May 2024

Labour denies diluting workers' rights plan

1 May 2024

Usdaw Conference 2024 / 1 May 2024

Usdaw leader insists Labour won't drop the pensions triple-lock

1 May 2024

School children playing, November 27, 2019

Usdaw Conference 2024 / 1 May 2024

Sir Keir Starmer ‘hasn't got the message’ on child poverty, Usdaw conference told

1 May 2024

Features / 1 May 2024

Violence against shopworkers must end

1 May 2024

The growing epidemic of retail crime has seen Usdaw members abused, threatened and assaulted — it is time for action, and the May 2 elections can provide it, writes PADDY LILLIS

Usdaw Conference 2024 / 30 April 2024

Usdaw conference news in brief: April 20, 2024

30 April 2024

Keir Starmer addressing Usdaw conference

Usdaw Conference 2024 / 30 April 2024

High Street revival ‘absolutely crucial’ to Labour's growth plan, Sir Keir tells Usdaw conference

30 April 2024

Rubbish is left beside a no fly tipping sign, October 29, 20

Usdaw Conference 2024 / 30 April 2024

Fly-tipping and derelict phone boxes ‘blighting’ Britain's High Streets, Usdaw says

30 April 2024

Usdaw Conference 2024 / 30 April 2024

Usdaw leader blames social media for ‘spiralling’ customer abuse

30 April 2024

Usdaw is affiliated to the Labour Party because it is our pa

Features / 30 April 2024

The only way to secure real change is to vote in a Labour government

30 April 2024

General secretary PADDY LILLIS explains why Usdaw believes supporting Labour is vital for its members’ well-being — rising costs, economic instability, and punitive restrictions on unions underscore the urgent need for political change

A gas hob with a bill from British Gas, February 8, 2007

Usdaw Conference 2024 / 29 April 2024

Social energy tariff and closing windfall tax loopholes backed by Usdaw delegates

29 April 2024

Usdaw Conference 2024 / 29 April 2024

Usdaw overwhelmingly backs legalising assisted dying at annual conference

29 April 2024

Usdaw Conference 2024 / 29 April 2024

Tory failures have left High Street struggling to survive, Paul Nowak tells USDAW conference

29 April 2024

Usdaw Conference 2024 / 29 April 2024

Usdaw conference news in brief: April 29, 2024

29 April 2024

Keir Starmer with Paddy Lillis at Usdaw HQ

Features / 27 April 2024

Tory class policies delivered millions into poverty and destitution

27 April 2024

PADDY LILLIS makes the case for voting Labour at the next general election

Britain / 10 April 2024

Government U-turn on shop worker assault law is ‘long overdue’, Usdaw says

10 April 2024

Britain / 13 March 2024

Shopworker attacks double in a year as Tories fail to act on 'epidemic' of retail crime, Usdaw report says

13 March 2024

Britain / 11 February 2024

Closure looms for Kellogg’s factory, putting 360 jobs at risk

11 February 2024

Britain / 19 January 2024

Retail sales plummet in signs of deepening cost-of-living crisis and struggling high street

19 January 2024

Britain / 3 December 2023

Unions call for respect and kindness to retail workers this Christmas

3 December 2023

Britain / 13 November 2023

Shopworkers suffering alarming levels of abuse

13 November 2023

The scene outside a Co-op store in Barnham, West Sussex. A m

Britain / 13 November 2023

Retail giant Co-op calls for more action to tackle record levels of crime in sector

13 November 2023

TUC 2023 / 11 September 2023

One-sided flexibility is one of many issues that needs to be tackled with a new deal for workers

11 September 2023

by PADDY LILLIS, Usdaw general secretary

A Tesco employee collects trolleys at a Tesco store in Burto

Editorial / 3 September 2023

What's driving the extreme rise in assaults on shop workers?

3 September 2023

Britain / 3 September 2023

Tesco equips staff with body cameras after assaults rise a third in a single year

3 September 2023

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer and deputy leader Angela Rayn

Britain / 21 July 2023

Labour urged to axe benefits cap and back £15 minimum wage

21 July 2023

Britain / 15 July 2023

Union launches first National Retail Workers’ Day

15 July 2023

Britain / 19 May 2023

Rise in shoplifting is driving increase in violence against shopworkers, retail union warns

19 May 2023

People lay wreaths at the annual International Workers' Memo

Britain / 28 April 2023

‘A unionised workplace is a safer workplace’

28 April 2023

Britain pays tribute to those killed and injured at work on International Workers Memorial Day

Britain / 26 April 2023

Public ownership ‘is the only way to save Royal Mail’

26 April 2023

Usdaw delegates praise CWU for ‘valiant’ fight against bosses

Usdaw general secretary Paddy Lillis addresses the closing d

Britain / 26 April 2023

Make empty housing stock available for those in need, retail workers demand

26 April 2023

Britain / 25 April 2023

Usdaw delegates fail to back plea for Corbyn's reinstatement

25 April 2023

Features / 25 April 2023

Breaking down barriers – Usdaw launches its Black Members Development Programme

25 April 2023

Usdaw general secretary PADDY LILLIS introduces a new initiative to improve the representation of black members and make sure the union properly reflects its wider membership

Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar visits Usdaw's annual del

Britain / 25 April 2023

‘SNP could learn from shopworkers how to balance a till’

25 April 2023

Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar hits out at scandal-hit governments at Usdaw’s annual delegate meeting

Salford Quays delegate Marcus Raymond demands greater protec

Britain / 25 April 2023

Retail staff demand bosses meet ‘legal and moral’ obligations to protect workers from sexual harassment

25 April 2023

Britain / 24 April 2023

Renationalise ‘rip-off’ water firms, union members say

24 April 2023

Sussex delegate Kieron Murphy speaks in favour of anti-fire

Britain / 24 April 2023

‘It's immoral, abhorrent, legalised bullying’ - Retail union demands end to fire and rehire

24 April 2023

Britain / 24 April 2023

Retail union leader slams ‘incompetent, immoral and ineffective’ Tory government

24 April 2023

WITH LABOUR: Keir Starmer (left) with Paddy Lillis at Usdaw

Features / 24 April 2023

Only Labour will deliver the change our members so desperately need

24 April 2023

From working closely with Labour to write its New Deal for Working People, we know it is essential that Keir Starmer takes Downing Street at the next election, writes Usdaw general secretary PADDY LILLIS

Usdaw's annual conference in Blackpool's Winter Gardens

Britain / 23 April 2023

‘Dramatic change’ needed to protect female workers experiencing menopause

23 April 2023

Usdaw's deputy general secretary Dave McCrossen

Britain / 23 April 2023

Bosses failing to address effects of extreme weather

23 April 2023

Usdaw president Jane Jones opens the organisation’s 76th�

Britain / 23 April 2023

Unions must amplify voices of austerity-hit workers, Usdaw president urges

23 April 2023

Features / 23 April 2023

Our New Deal for Workers is the only way forward

23 April 2023

In light of new research that shows low-paid workers are worse off than ever, Usdaw general secretary PADDY LILLIS explains why his union is renewing its call for action on pay, contracts and employment rights

CHANGE NEEDED: Shopworkers need greater protections in the w

Features / 21 April 2023

Call it out! Towards an end to sexual harassment

21 April 2023

More proactive and robust action is needed from employers to shift workplace cultures, writes Usdaw general secretary PADDY LILLIS

Empty fruit and vegetable shelves at an Asda in east London

Editorial / 10 March 2023

Rising hunger and rising crime: look at the big picture

10 March 2023

Britain / 10 March 2023

Nearly a third of shopworkers think of quitting because of violence, threats and abuse, union survey finds

10 March 2023

Britain / 6 March 2023

Usdaw activists focus on mental health at start of Young Workers' Week

6 March 2023

Britain / 2 March 2023

Union condemns ‘appalling levels’ of violence and abuse against retail workers

2 March 2023

Britain / 14 February 2023

New coalition of more than 90 organisations launches to end carer poverty

14 February 2023

Members and supporters of the University and College Union (

Britain / 13 February 2023

Heart Unions Week to highlight importance of being in a union

13 February 2023

Britain / 19 January 2023

Usdaw secures agreement with Tesco Bank on ‘cost of living’ pay increase

19 January 2023

File photo dated 10/10/22 of a sign in a shop in Worcester c

Britain / 2 January 2023

Nearly 50 shops closed their doors every day in Britain last year

2 January 2023

Shoppers on Buchanan Street in Glasgow city centre.

Britain / 16 December 2022

Retail decline continues despite Christmas sales

16 December 2022

RMT members stand on the picket line outside Victoria statio

Britain / 14 December 2022

High Court gives unions green light to challenge government's anti-strike regulations

14 December 2022

Britain / 14 November 2022

Over 70% of shop workers subject to verbal abuse, Usdaw finds

14 November 2022

Britain / 8 November 2022

Shocking stats reveal violence, threats and abuse against shop workers

8 November 2022

Two-thirds of show workers say attacks have worsened in the last two years

Britain / 27 October 2022

GMB members working for Usdaw launch strike action over pay

27 October 2022

Shopworkers are a vital part of the economy

Features / 17 October 2022

Technology and automation – delivering skills and workplace protection

17 October 2022

Unions are crucial in minimising the impact of automation on workers and a strong union presence is essential to protecting jobs, argues Usdaw leader PADDY LILLIS

Britain / 26 September 2022

Labour backs Usdaw motion on growing economic challenges

26 September 2022

Britain / 20 September 2022

Third of high-street firms miss out on business rate relief

20 September 2022

Prime Minister Liz Truss departs 10 Downing Street, Westmins

Britain / 7 September 2022

Truss’s energy plan will be too little too late, union warns

7 September 2022

A Tesco employee collecting trolleys at a Tesco store in Bur

Britain / 10 August 2022

A quarter of retail workers skipping meals, union finds

10 August 2022

Kwasi Kwarteng Secretary of State for Business, Energy and I

Britain / 27 July 2022

12 unions challenge legality of government's scab law

27 July 2022

Britain / 22 July 2022

Shoplifting increased by 21 per cent in the last year

22 July 2022

Features / 18 June 2022

After 12 years of Tory government, is anyone really surprised they’ve crashed the economy again?

18 June 2022

We need a new deal for workers now, argues Usdaw general secretary PADDY LILLIS

Britain / 10 May 2022

There is ‘overwhelming case for a windfall tax on profits from energy producers,’ Tesco boss says

10 May 2022

Usdaw general secretary Paddy Lillis says ministers have ‘not delivered anywhere near enough to help workers’

Usdaw Conference 2022 / 3 May 2022

‘Knowledge is power’: Ministers must reinstate financial support for unions to provide education

3 May 2022

An energy bill claiming that the customer has defaulted on p

Usdaw Conference 2022 / 3 May 2022

Workers must not ‘let the Tories off the hook’ for causing the cost-of-living crisis, delegates say

3 May 2022

Features / 3 May 2022

We don’t go to work to be attacked

3 May 2022

Usdaw’s research shows record levels of violence, threats and abuse against shopworkers – and a majority do not feel reporting it makes any difference. Much more needs to be done, writes PADDY LILLIS

Usdaw Conference 2022 / 2 May 2022

Ministers must make drink and needle spiking attacks a specific criminal offence, union demands

2 May 2022

Black Lives Matter demonstrators take a knee during a 'Kill

Usdaw Conference 2022 / 2 May 2022

Members urged to ‘help educate racism out of society’

2 May 2022

National executive council announces plans for a new black activists’ development programme

Usdaw Conference 2022 / 2 May 2022

Usdaw committed to pushing up members' pay, Lillis says

2 May 2022

Usdaw’s research has found many supermarket workers are th

Usdaw Conference 2022 / 2 May 2022

Key worker recognition was welcome, but was it worth it?

2 May 2022

Usdaw spoke to 6,500 workers in its recent survey and the results were shocking: from borrowing to pay household bills to parents going hungry, it is clear that things are getting rapidly worse for working-class people, writes PADDY LILLIS

A view inside Usdaw’s 2022 conference in Blackpool

Usdaw Conference 2022 / 1 May 2022

Retail workers need protection from automation, general secretary Paddy Lillis warns

1 May 2022

Usdaw Conference 2022 / 1 May 2022

Bosses must be forced to support workers with long Covid, union demands

1 May 2022

Call comes as supermarket giants Sainsbury’s and Tesco cut the right to extra sick leave for workers affected by the virus

Usdaw Conference 2022 / 1 May 2022

Ministers must urgently address the worsening cost-of-living crisis, delegate hear

1 May 2022

Usdaw Conference 2022 / 1 May 2022

Tackling racism is a crucial priority for Usdaw, the trade union movement and the whole of society

1 May 2022

Usdaw general secretary PADDY LILLIS argues that structural racism is all-too clear in the workplace, with BME workers facing poorer wages, temporary contracts and prejudicial treatment — but unions are the best way to fight back

Britain / 1 April 2022

Deteriorating mental health in the workplace will hit younger workers hardest, Usdaw warns

1 April 2022

Britain / 6 February 2022

Tesco condemned for adding to the cost of living crisis despite making bumper profits

6 February 2022

Company chairman John Allan says ‘worst is still to come’ after raising food prices by 1%, with increases five times that possible by spring

Governor of the Bank of England Andrew Bailey speaking durin

Britain / 4 February 2022

Bank of England's ‘outrageous’ call for pay restraint branded a ‘sick joke’

4 February 2022

Britain / 3 February 2022

Usdaw celebrates ‘huge win’ at the High Court against Tesco's fire and rehire tactics

3 February 2022

Britain / 1 February 2022

Retail union Usdaw in talks with Tesco over plans to cut 1,600 jobs

1 February 2022

Britain / 20 January 2022

Union pledges to project jobs at Primark after firm announces plans to axe 400 positions

20 January 2022

Britain / 15 December 2021

Tesco distribution workers call off pre-Christmas strike after ‘much improved’ pay offer

15 December 2021

Britain / 8 December 2021

Union welcomes Ikea's decision to increase pay beyond real living wage rates

8 December 2021

Britain / 22 November 2021

Union launches industrial action ballots at nine Tesco distribution centres in disputes over pay

22 November 2021

Britain / 19 October 2021

Co-op's reduced Christmas opening hours ‘a step in the right direction,’ shopworkers' union says

19 October 2021

A member of staff wearing personal protective equipment (PPE

Britain / 27 September 2021

Retail staff fear abuse, harassment and Covid, union finds

27 September 2021

9 September 2021

Usdaw action secures U-turn on shift payments for Weetabix workers

9 September 2021

Britain / 5 September 2021

Almost 50 chain stores a day closed in Britain during first half of 2021, research reveals

5 September 2021

Britain / 20 August 2021

Shopworkers' union backs closing stores on New Year’s Day

20 August 2021

Britain / 21 July 2021

Pharmaceutical workers in Nottingham to strike against fire-and-rehire contracts

21 July 2021

Britain / 16 July 2021

Usdaw welcomes retailers’ commitment to keep safety measures

16 July 2021

Empty branches of Dorothy Perkins and Burton in King's Lynn

Britain / 16 July 2021

Levelling-up plan will not save our shops, union warns

16 July 2021

Britain / 15 July 2021

England’s Covid-19 guidelines a dangerous shambles, say unions

15 July 2021

Calls grow for masks to remain compulsory

Britain / 14 July 2021

Weetabix workers to strike over pay

14 July 2021

Britain / 8 July 2021

Unions slam extension of lorry drivers’ working hours

8 July 2021

Britain / 30 June 2021

Low pay and insecure work having disproportionate effect on black workers, says Usdaw

30 June 2021

Britain / 29 June 2021

Usdaw announces strike ballot for Weetabix workers in dispute over premium pay for unsociable hours

29 June 2021

Britain / 23 June 2021

M&S distribution staff to strike for third time over redundancies

23 June 2021

Britain / 18 June 2021

Usdaw demands £10 minimum wage and end to ‘rip-off’ youth rates

18 June 2021

Britain / 10 June 2021

M&S distribution workers to take further action as company fails to engage with them

10 June 2021

A man on a mobility scooter moves past closed shop shutters

Britain / 10 June 2021

High streets face a ‘perfect storm’ of job losses without government action

10 June 2021

Home Office Minister Chris Philp in the House of Commons

Britain / 8 June 2021

Union slams government's inaction on protecting shopworkers' rights

8 June 2021

Ministers reject Usdaw's calls for new legislation despite cross-party backing from MPs

Britain / 7 June 2021

Only one in five shopworkers who reported incidents of abuse or violence were satisfied with response, report finds

7 June 2021

Britain / 2 June 2021

Coffee factory workers handed dismissal notices after refusing to sign ‘fire and rehire’ notices

2 June 2021

Britain / 1 June 2021

MPs set to debate Usdaw's protect shopworkers petition

1 June 2021

Britain / 27 May 2021

Usdaw demands more protection for public service workers

27 May 2021

Assaults on workers providing a service to the public, such as shop staff, could attract tougher sentences under new guidelines

STUC LGBT+ Conference / 23 May 2021

Abuse of LGBT+ workers has grown worse throughout the pandemic, unions warn

23 May 2021

Britain / 12 May 2021

BCM Fareva's workers' considering strike action in the latest fire-and-rehire dispute

12 May 2021

Shop workers are being abused for trying to enforce social d

Britain / 11 May 2021

Retail workers desperately need new laws for protection against assault, PM warned

11 May 2021

Britain / 10 May 2021

Unions calls for support for workers’ mental health at start of Mental Health Awareness Week

10 May 2021

Features / 28 April 2021

Retail workers are community servants that demand our respect

28 April 2021

With verbal and physical abuse soaring, Usdaw general secretary PADDY LILLIS tells the Star why he has been pushing for new legislation making it a specific offence to assault a retail worker

Sir Keir Starmer with Usdaw general secretary Paddy Lillis a

Usdaw Conference ’21 / 26 April 2021

Sir Keir thanks Usdaw members for their hard work during the pandemic

26 April 2021

A worker dresses a mannequin in a shop window

Usdaw Conference ’21 / 26 April 2021

TUC general secretary O'Grady praises Usdaw reps' determined work

26 April 2021

A shopworker ensures shelves are stocked

Features / 25 April 2021

Welsh Labour has delivered for Usdaw members – we’d like that to continue

25 April 2021

NICK IRELAND, Usdaw divisional officer based in Cardiff, writes for the Morning Star about the 2021 Senedd election

Britain / 14 April 2021

Violence and abuse towards shop workers ‘endemic and worsening since Covid,’ Usdaw warns MPs

14 April 2021

The latest Usdaw survey of 2,700 retail workers found that over the past year 88 per cent have been verbally abused and nearly one in 10 have been physically assaulted

Early morning shoppers at Primark, in Birmingham, as England

Britain / 12 April 2021

Unions urge shoppers to help keep workers safe as stores across England are reopened

12 April 2021

Britain / 3 April 2021

Significant government action needed after 190,000 jobs lost in retail sector, unions warn

3 April 2021

Britain / 1 April 2021

Unions call for greater protections for furloughed low-paid workers who will miss out on minimum wage rise

1 April 2021

Britain / 24 March 2021

Unions urge John Lewis to ensure fair treatment of staff after eight store closures announced

24 March 2021

Britain / 19 March 2021

Union challenges Tesco fire-and-rehire tactic in High Court

19 March 2021

A row of boarded up shops in Nottingham City Centre

Britain / 2 March 2021

Tory Chancellor must take action to ‘save our shops,’ retail workers union demands

2 March 2021

Britain / 26 February 2021

Sainsbury’s pay offer falls short of £10 aim, says union

26 February 2021

Britain / 24 February 2021

Shopworkers abuse campaign launched in Scotland

24 February 2021

Britain / 23 February 2021

Labour bars three women from Liverpool mayoral candidate contest in ‘absolutely disgraceful’ move

23 February 2021

Britain / 8 February 2021

Boohoo takes over more high street brands

8 February 2021

Britain / 4 February 2021

Government again denies the need for tougher laws to protect shopworkers, says Usdaw

4 February 2021

Many shops remain closed on the High Street in Leicester dur

Britain / 1 February 2021

Thousands of retail jobs at risk after Asos takeover of Arcadia

1 February 2021

Usdaw describes the move as ‘another devastating blow for our high streets’ and warns ‘administrators have refused to engage’ with the union

A sign at the headquarters of the Arcadia Group on Berners S

Editorial: / 1 February 2021

The crisis on our high streets cannot be tackled without a clear government lead

1 February 2021

Britain / 26 January 2021

Unions vowed to fight ‘tooth and nail’ to protect workers’ rights

26 January 2021

Britain / 25 January 2021

Retail workers' union calls on government to save Britain's high streets

25 January 2021

12,000 jobs at risk after Boohoo buys Debenhams' brand and website but won't keep its 118 stores open

Britain / 20 January 2021

Usdaw: Holyrood ‘leading the way’ following approval of Protection of Workers Bill

20 January 2021

Britain / 20 January 2021

90% of retail workers suffered abuse at work last year, union finds

20 January 2021

Britain / 17 January 2021

Retail workers set for legal protection in Scotland

17 January 2021

Features / 16 January 2021

Shopworkers stake claim for £10 hourly minimum across the sector

16 January 2021

Usdaw’s Morrisons deal sets the benchmark for pay talks with major retailers and boosts its wider campaign for a New Deal, says industrial reporter DEREK KOTZ

A delivery driver for Ocado online supermarket delivers a sh

Britain / 5 January 2021

Frontline retail staff must be prioritised for testing and vaccination, Usdaw urges

5 January 2021

People make their way past a Government coronavirus Tier 4 s

Britain / 27 December 2020

Usdaw urges immediate action to rescue retail

27 December 2020

NO MORE DELAY: Union says government must intervene to stem shop closures and job losses

A sign in a branch of Tesco in Kensal Rise, north London, hi

Britain / 20 December 2020

MPs are to investigate levels of abuse and violence against shopworkers

20 December 2020

Britain / 17 December 2020

Usdaw petition calling for protection of shopworkers from abuse reaches 100,000 signatures

17 December 2020

Britain / 15 December 2020

Bill to protect shopworkers from abuse blocked by government

15 December 2020

Usdaw fears a rush back to the high street during the festiv

Britain / 2 December 2020

Customers told to respect retail staff as thousands of shops reopen

2 December 2020

Retailers have reported a rise in abuse of staff amid the pa

Britain / 30 November 2020

Shopworkers launch Christmas campaign to urge against abuse of staff

30 November 2020

A woman walks past Topshop, owned by the stricken Arcadia gr

Britain / 29 November 2020

Launch 'radical recovery plan' for high streets in face of Arcadia crisis, unions tell Tories

29 November 2020

by Bethany Rielly

A notice in the window of the Topshop and Topman store on Ox

Editorial: / 27 November 2020

Without a political alternative, we face a historic downgrade to living standards

27 November 2020

Britain / 27 November 2020

Arcadia set to collapse putting 15,000 jobs at risk ahead of Christmas

27 November 2020

Britain / 22 November 2020

Sacked trade union rep wins financial settlement from Ikea

22 November 2020

Richie Venton was forced out of his job this summer after warning colleagues of planned changes to their workers’ rights

A shop worker stacks shelves whilst wearing PPE at a Co-op s

Britain / 19 November 2020

Shopworkers need better laws to protect them, campaigners warn

19 November 2020

Research by Co-op suggests 1 in 5 customers has admitted to being abusive towards a shop worker over the past eight months

Britain / 5 November 2020

Unions call on Sainsbury's to redeploy staff, not make them redundant

5 November 2020

Features / 4 November 2020

Retail needs support in this lockdown

4 November 2020

Low-paid workers must not pay the price of tackling this appalling pandemic writes PADDY LILLIS, Usdaw General Secretary

A general view of members of the public on Buchanan Street i

Britain / 25 September 2020

Usdaw welcomes support for a Bill to protect Scottish shopworkers from abuse, threats and violence

25 September 2020

Britain / 14 September 2020

Hundreds of trade unionists demand Ikea reinstate sacked workplace rep

14 September 2020

Britain / 2 September 2020

Glasgow MP rallying support for sacked union rep

2 September 2020

Britain / 28 August 2020

Ikea store in Glasgow facing strike action after union representative sacked

28 August 2020

The Usdaw rep was forced out after warning colleagues of planned changes to worker's terms and conditions

Britain / 19 August 2020

Enforce stiffer penalties for abuse against retail workers, union urges after assaults and threats double

19 August 2020

A view of the Debenhams store in Nottingham as the retailer

Britain / 11 August 2020

Shopworkers' union demands urgent talks with Debenhams as 2,500 jobs set to be axed

11 August 2020

Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak departs 11 Downing S

Britain / 8 July 2020

Chancellor condemned for failing to announce creation of new jobs amid rising unemployment

8 July 2020

Britain / 1 July 2020

Retail workers' union calls for new deal shop workers after 100 days of lockdown shows their true value to society

1 July 2020

Britain / 10 May 2020

Unions will not recommend members to return to work till it's safe

10 May 2020

Britain / 30 April 2020

Shopworkers are facing twice as much abuse from customers during the coronavirus

30 April 2020

A shortage of toilet rolls on the shelves at a Sainsbury's s

Britain / 20 March 2020

Government's ‘laissez-faire’ attitude to pandemic is putting workers at risk, sick workers say

20 March 2020

Labour demanded last night that the Tories put measures in place to protect retail workers, enforce social distancing, ration products and change opening hours in all major supermarkets

Empty supermarket shelves in Coton near Leeds, Yorkshire

Britain / 17 March 2020

‘Buy only what you need,’ shopworkers urge customers

17 March 2020

Usdaw union said ‘extremely high demand’ in stores means that staff are ‘working flat out’

Britain / 4 February 2020

Ikea closure to hit 352 workers with job losses

4 February 2020

Features / 29 January 2020

The rush to automation will devastate our high streets

29 January 2020

The retail crisis will not be tackled by replacing shopworkers with machines, warns Usdaw general secretary PADDY LILLIS

Britain / 27 January 2020

Nearly 10,000 retail jobs lost in 2020 already, new research shows

27 January 2020

General view of Beales department store in Chipping Norton,

Britain / 20 January 2020

Government urged to show ‘clear and coherent’ strategy to tackle the high-street crisis as Beales goes into administration

20 January 2020

Britain / 13 January 2020

Beales department-store poised to collapse, over 1,000 jobs on the line

13 January 2020

Britain / 11 November 2019

Shop workers are abused, threatened or assaulted 21 times a year

11 November 2019

Labour Conference ’19 / 22 September 2019

Saving the high street from a no-deal Brexit

22 September 2019

Usdaw general secretary PADDY LILLIS sets out the union's agenda for Labour’s conference

Britain / 19 June 2019

Co-op urges action as retail workers face growing abuse

19 June 2019

Usdaw conference ’19 / 8 May 2019

The Tories have made harassment at work worse, union says

8 May 2019

Usdaw conference ’19 / 7 May 2019

Union calls for protection from rip-off loan charges

7 May 2019

Usdaw Conference ’19 / 7 May 2019

Shop workers' union to support TUC's anti-racism campaign

7 May 2019

TUC Black Workers Conference / 12 April 2019

‘Tackling discrimination is a fundamental trade union principle’, says Usdaw

12 April 2019

Britain / 21 March 2019

Young shop staff highlight scourge of poverty pay

21 March 2019

Britain / 27 February 2019

Major unions to launch anti-fascist front this weekend

27 February 2019

Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan talks to MPs of his

Britain / 15 January 2019

EXCLUSIVE: Unions and progressives refuse to be intimidated by Turkish state

15 January 2019

General secretaries of 14 unions remain defiant after Turkey's ambassador demands they pull out of the Freedom for Ocalan campaign

A dog waits outside as people cram into a shop in Edinburgh

Britain / 8 January 2019

Shopworkers' union calls on the government to tackle low wages and insecure work

8 January 2019

Britain / 9 October 2018

Government has duty of care for shopworkers enforcing age restriction laws, says Usdaw

9 October 2018

Britain / 7 June 2018

Hundreds of House of Fraser staff face dole as shops shut

7 June 2018

Britain / 30 May 2018

Usdaw takes Lidl recognition campaign to European Parliament

30 May 2018

Usdaw Conference ’18 / 24 April 2018

Retail workers demand education reform

24 April 2018

Usdaw Conference ’18 / 23 April 2018

Retail workers call for a ban on zero-hours contracts

23 April 2018

Usdaw Conference ’18 / 23 April 2018

Female and ethnic-minority members urged to fight for equality

23 April 2018

Industrial / 19 February 2018

New Usdaw president in cal to resist zero-hours contracts

19 February 2018

Britain / 31 January 2018

'Salami slicing' of M&S causing workers 'huge distress,' says Usdaw

31 January 2018

Safety at work / 29 January 2018

Tory compensation changes see thousands of assaulted shopworkers lose out

29 January 2018

Shopworkers' claims drop by half despite steady rise in attacks

Britain / 13 November 2017

One shopworker a minute exposed to abuse or attack

13 November 2017

Britain / 2 May 2017

Usdaw: Bosses using loophole to deny staff loo breaks

2 May 2017

Britain / 2 May 2017

USDAW: Delegates vote down mandatory reselection of MPs

2 May 2017

Britain / 1 May 2017

USDAW: ‘Living wage’ fails to boost incomes

1 May 2017

Britain / 1 May 2017

USDAW: Hannett lambasts Green and his wife

1 May 2017

Chain’s former owners ‘played monopoly with workers’ lives’

Britain / 1 May 2017

USDAW: No to new conscription

1 May 2017

Britain / 20 April 2017

Shopworkers demand talks after M&S moots six closures

20 April 2017

Britain / 21 March 2017

Green ‘should be made to hand back £15m refund’

21 March 2017

Britain / 9 March 2017

Tesco docked wages from 140,000 staff

9 March 2017

Britain / 7 March 2017

Hundreds of jobs lost as 32 Budgen stores close

7 March 2017

Britain / 28 February 2017

Green in £363m bid to end pensions row

28 February 2017

Deal fails to make good BHS scheme’s deficit

Britain / 2 February 2017

Violence against shopworkers up 28% in a year

2 February 2017

Britain / 31 January 2017

Millions of retail jobs ‘could go by 2020’

31 January 2017

Britain / 23 January 2017

Weetabix strike put on hold

23 January 2017

Britain / 23 January 2017

Bakers’ jobs at risk in Greggs factory

23 January 2017

Britain / 12 January 2017

At least 12 ex-Co-op food stores to close doors

12 January 2017

Britain / 10 January 2017

500 staff face axe as Tesco shuts distribution centres

10 January 2017

Britain / 19 December 2016

Workers have their fill of Weetabix and vote for action

19 December 2016

Britain / 14 November 2016

Shop staff reveal regular horror of violence at work

14 November 2016

Usdaw survey shows one in 10 retail workers are assaulted while on the job

Britain / 10 November 2016

Usdaw launch campaign for kinder shopping

10 November 2016

Britain / 8 November 2016

Union seeks talks over M&S plan to close 60 stores

8 November 2016

Britain / 18 October 2016

Green’s promise to sort out pensions is long overdue

18 October 2016

Editorial / 11 August 2016

Lidl’s race to the bottom

11 August 2016

Britain / 8 August 2016

Shopworkers’ union Usdaw backs Smith

8 August 2016

Britain / 25 July 2016

Greedy Green ‘much worse than Maxwell’

25 July 2016

Former BHS owner under pressure to cover pensions deficit

Britain / 13 July 2016

Union hopes to save 18,000 jobs at Poundland

13 July 2016