Usdaw joins lobby for decent state pension

USDAW, the shopworkers' union, will be joining a rally with other unions for a decent state pension for all, followed by a lobby of Parliament.

The lobby will be calling for the basic state pension to be raised above the poverty level (of £151 per week for a single pensioner), the link with earnings or prices (whichever is higher) to be restored immediately and for the state pension to be paid to all existing pensioners on a universal basis.

John Hannett, Usdaw General Secretary, commented:- "We are sending a delegation of Usdaw members to take part in this rally on Wednesday. 

In this uncertain economic environment, people need the certainty of an adequate level of retirement income backed by the government.  Private pension funds have lost billions of pounds over the last few weeks, leaving hard working people who are about to retire unsure of how they are going to cope in retirement.  And future generations have even less security.

We are calling on the government to restore the link between the state pension and earnings.  Had the link between the state pension and average earnings not been broken in 1980, a single pension would now be getting £154 per week rather than £90.70. 

Now is the time for the government to look at this issue again and provide our pensioners with the decent state pension they deserve."

Usdaw backs demands to cut retail crime

THE BRC's Retail Crime Survey 2008, shows that incidents of shoplifting and violence against shopworkers are down.  But there is still a theft from a shop every 90 seconds.  The BRC also suggests that a likely result of the economic downturn would be an increase in theft, burglary and violence.  Usdaw is echoing the BRC recommendations, which include ending the misuse of Penalty Notices for Disorder and raising the understanding of local police officers for dealing with fraud and the growth of online crime.

John Hannett, Usdaw General Secretary, said:- "We welcome the fact that the number of incidents of shoplifting and violence against shopworkers has come down, and the joint working between the BRC, government, employers and Usdaw is making a real difference.  Contrary to what many people believe, shoplifting is not a victimless crime.  In fact, many incidents of abuse, both verbal and physical, against shopworkers is caused when they confront people stealing from their stores.  Usdaw takes shoplifting very seriously and we are calling on the authorities to do the same.  In areas where the police work closely with local stores and recognise the seriousness of shoplifting, the safety of shopworkers is much improved.

3 November 2008 to 7 November 2008, is Usdaw's Respect Week, where we will be highlighting the issue of abuse against shopworkers.  I am pleased that the BRC recognised the contribution of Usdaw's Freedom From Fear campaign has made so far and hope that the continuation of our campaign will make people think again before abusing retail staff."