tuc news


Fair pay demanded as workers on Covid-19 frontline praised


THE TUC congress paid tribute to key workers who saw the country through the Covid-19 crisis – and who may have to do the same again this winter. Thousands of trade


“


It’s not the great and the good who have kept the country going, not the hedge fund bosses and captains of industry but the labour of working people


Ged Nichols TUC president


unionists watched online as workers from all sectors told their stories in a series of poignant videos on the first day of the conference. The TUC has started a


campaign demanding fair pay for essential workers. It is urging all trade unionists to write to their MPs in support of a pay rise and better working conditions. Currently, 2.1 million key


workers earn the minimum wage or less. The TUC believes the minimum wage should be at least £10 an hour for all. Public sector workers make


up 52 per cent of key workers and have been central during the crisis. They include carers,


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NHS workers, bus drivers, civil servants, postal delivery workers and others. The TUC said these workers deserved serious pay increases to reward them for sacrifices they have made. Many key workers are in


insecure employment – including people on zero hours contracts, agency staff,


casual workers and low-paid self-employed people. They include carers, delivery drivers and shop workers whose importance became apparent during the crisis. The TUC is calling for an immediate ban on zero hours contracts to reduce the insecurity experienced by many essential workers,


including one in four staff in adult social care. A TUC report launched at


the conference says: “Despite doing the essential work caring for us and keeping food on shop shelves through this crisis, millions remain underpaid and without secure employment. “Many made huge


sacrifices, putting themselves and their families at risk… Workers who are carrying the country through this crisis deserve to be rewarded fairly.” TUC president Ged Nichols


said: “It’s not the great and the good who have kept the country going, not the hedge fund bosses and captains of industry but the labour of working people, people we are proud to represent. “The crisis has shown that


those doing the most important work are often those paid the least.”


Jobs loss 'tsunami' feared as state scheme ends


TUC GENERAL secretary Frances O’Grady has warned the government the country faces a ‘tsunami of job losses’ if it does not act when the job retention scheme ends this autumn. The scheme, which the unions pushed for, has paid the wages of more than nine million workers. “The pandemic isn’t scheduled to end in October so neither


should state support for jobs. It’s better to keep people working, paying their taxes, spending their wages and helping to rebuild the economy,” she said. O’Grady said the government needed reminding of what mass unemployment does to a country – crushing young people’s dreams and people in their 50s joining the dole afraid


they will never work again. “The price of unemployment is too high,” she said. The TUC is urging employers to bring people back to work using a package that could include shorter hours and training. O’Grady said the TUC was


proposing that in return for state support, firms draw up credible plans to rebuild hours and


productivity. The state should subsidise wages on condition that employers pay at least 80 per cent of the normal rate. She added: “But there’ll be no blank cheques for business, no handouts for boardroom bonanzas; shareholders must tighten their belts. And, to qualify, companies must pay their share of taxes – here in the UK.”


Anti-racism taskforce launched


THE TUC has set up a taskforce to tackle racism. The group made up of members of the general council, will highlight the everyday racism black workers experience and will devise an action plan for change in UK workplaces and within unions. Mohammed Shafiq, chair of the PCS national black members’ committee,


spoke in the debate at congress on the general council’s statement about tackling racism. He said lasting change was required: “You cannot have a truly equal society until black workers feel safe and have the same opportunities as everyone else. This requires all of us to reflect on our language, behaviour and outlook towards black communities.”


6 | theJournalist


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