Government only offers warm words to retailers

SHOPWORKERS’ trade union Usdaw is campaigning for the Government to take urgent action to ‘Save Our Shops’.

Activists from the union will be engaging with local MPs and the shopping public to urge them to support the campaign by signing the ‘Save Our Shops’ petition.

Three million people are employed directly in the retail sector and another 1.5 million jobs rely on the success of shops.

In recent years, hundreds of thousands of jobs have been lost in retail, with large and small retailers alike closing their doors.

The Government is only offering warm words with little action to tackle the crisis on the high street and in our local communities.

Every shop that closes impacts negatively on local communities and our town centres.

Usdaw is calling for action to breathe life back into the high street – benefitting retail workers, shoppers, the local community and retailers. Usdaw is calling for: ● Economic measures to create a more level playing field between the high street and online retailing. ● Fair pay and job security for retail workers – a minimum wage of £10 per hour, tackle zero-hours and short-hours contracts, investment in skills and training. ● Government action to protect jobs in the retail sector.

Retail jobs are real jobs – retail is a key part of the economy providing jobs and income for millions of families.