TUC general secretary PAUL NOWAK speaks to the Morning Star’s Berny Torre about the increasing frustration the trade union movement feels at a government that promised change, but has been too slow to bring it about

THE cost-of-living crisis has hit working people hard. Workers who were on the front line, keeping our country going during the coronavirus pandemic, have seen their living standards squeezed and their families suffer as wages have failed to keep up with soaring bills and sky-rocketing costs.
Usdaw’s latest cost-of-living survey of 7,500 low-paid key workers found that 83 per cent feel financially worse off than last year, almost two in three have struggled to pay gas and electricity bills and nearly three in four reported that financial worries are having an impact on their mental health.
At the heart of this cost-of-living crisis is a lack of decent employment rights: low-paid workers are particularly vulnerable to having their hours, wages or terms and conditions cut.

By sticking together, working collectively and building the union, we can weather any uncertainty ahead, writes general secretary of Usdaw PADDY LILLIS


