Addressing the conference, Paddy Lillis – Usdaw General Secretary said: “The economy is a key pillar of our everyday lives, it is a pillar that has been crumbling, thanks to years of mismanagement from this Government and the impact on low paid workers has been huge. Food prices have soared, interest rates have gone up and energy costs have skyrocketed. All while living standards fell to a new low, leaving working people facing a cost of living crisis few could have imagined.
 
“A cost of living crisis brought about not by chance, but political choice. This government has overseen the worst two periods of economic growth since the 1920s, with dire consequences for Usdaw members, and for working people across the UK. It is clear we need a Labour Government committed to rebuilding the UK economy, to help tackle the issues facing Usdaw members and to deliver the economic growth and security we need.
 
“The Government would have us believe that the cost of living crisis is over and food inflation is falling. But does that mean that food is cheaper? Far from it. Food prices are still rising, just not as fast as they were before, and low paid workers are still struggling to afford everyday basic food items. They are still having to choose between heating their homes and feeding their families. They are still missing their own meals so their kids can eat.  
 
“The cumulative impact of rising prices has been devasting. Usdaw's Cost of Living Survey laid bare just how bad the situation is. Despite living in one of the world's largest economies, nearly half of workers are worried about their food bills, one in six are skipping meals to pay bills and 15% are using food banks. It is quite frankly appalling that hard working people cannot even afford to feed themselves, or even worse their children, with 4.2 million children across the UK living in poverty. The Government need to take urgent action to address this issue. Affordable access to food is not a luxury, everyone should be able to afford food. Everyone should be able to provide a basic standard of living for themselves and their families.
 
“Despite the recent dip in energy bills, overall energy costs remain at an all-time high, they are still 50% higher than in 2022. The charity National Energy Action estimates that six and a half million UK households are living in fuel poverty. That is six and a half million people across the UK who are unable to properly heat their homes. This is an appalling statistic and an increase of 2 million people affected since the energy crisis took hold in 2021. These figures also reflect our members' experiences.
 
“Usdaw's Cost of Living Survey showed that nearly 70% were struggling to pay their energy bills, with a third no longer using their heating. How long can the Government continue to ignore the problem? How long can they sit back while hard working people are pushed to breaking point? We need action now. We need a social energy tariff. We need long lasting protections for those who need it the most.”

Notes for editors:
 
Usdaw (Union of Shop, Distributive and Allied Workers) is one of the fastest growing unions in the TUC and the UK's fifth biggest trade union with around 360,000 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: http://www.usdaw.org.uk/news and you can follow us on Twitter @UsdawUnion