We cannot afford another Tory government

Prime Minister David Cameron (centre left) hosts a cabinet meeting as Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt (4th right) and Energy and Climate Secretary Ed Davey (3rd right) look on, at the first Cabinet meeting of 2015 at 10 Downing Street in London. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Picture date: Tuesday January 6, 2015. Photo credit should read: Dan Kitwood/PA Wire

2014 was difficult for a lot of Usdaw members, with many enduring changes in working hours, underemployment and limited pay increases. So it has been a busy time for Usdaw reps, who have stood up for our members by offering first-class representation, advice and support.

We now look forward to 2015, although there will still be a number of challenges ahead. Usdaw’s team stands ready to support our members and get the best possible deal for them.

The General Election on May 7th will be an opportunity to deliver a verdict on a coalition Government that has been so damaging to the prosperity of workers, particularly the lowest paid. Having been through an unprecedented squeeze in incomes and the promise of further freezes in tax credits, our members simply cannot afford another Tory-led Government. Their attacks on access to justice, with the introduction of employment tribunal fees, and cuts in local authority enforcement of health and safety in shops leave our members more vulnerable and less secure than they’ve been for many years.

We need the next Government to promote fairness in the workplace, while tackling the deficit in a balanced way that does not hit the poorest working families the hardest and diminish the public services we all rely on. My view is that only Labour has that agenda.

2015 is an important year, when big decisions will be made and individuals will have to decide who offers the best way forward in what is going to be the most closely fought election in decades.

John Hannett

Usdaw