The Shadow Chancellor delivered her pitch to the nation at what is likely to be the last major Labour conference before a general election. In her speech, Ms Reeves told activists in Liverpool that Labour would pull the economy out of the “wreckage of Tory misrule” with a “vision to rebuild Britain”.
 
Paddy Lillis – Usdaw General Secretary says: “Rachel Reeves has today set out the fundamental difference a Labour government will make. By contrast to the Tories, who gamble on discredited trickle-down growth through tax cuts for the richest; Labour will restore growth by valuing the contribution of key workers, like our members in retail. Growth under Labour will come from the bottom up and work in the interests of working people.
 
“Labour’s new deal for workers, something Usdaw has long campaigned for, will ensure that growth provides security and hope: Supporting parents who are struggling to balance work with caring; banning zero-hours contracts along with fire and rehire; strengthening sick pay; establishing basic employment rights from day one; working towards ending the gender pay gap, and delivering a real living wage. This is a new deal that will be transformative for our members.
 
“Thirteen years of failure under the Tories has to come to an end. Wage stagnation, the cost of living crisis and insecure work is the legacy of the Conservatives in government and Rishi Sunak cannot disown that disgraceful record. Only Labour offers the change our members so desperately need.”
 
Notes for editors:
 
Usdaw (Union of Shop, Distributive and Allied Workers) is the UK's fifth biggest trade union with over 350,000 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