UNI Commerce affiliate enlists strong support in British Parliament:
Scrap earning limits for shopworkers taking care of disabled dependents

British shopworkers' union Usdaw has once again taken action to make the daily lives of members and their families easier to sustain. First it was the highly successful Freedom of Fear campaign, addressing the widespread problem of violence and customer abuse which has made the working lives of thousands of shopworkers into a veritable nightmare. Now, the union has enlisted the support of more than 100 Members of Parliament from across the political spectrum for their initiative to scrap the GBP 84 (USD 152) upper limit on weekly earnings, to qualify for the carers' allowance of GBP 46.95 (USD 85).

I’m delighted that so many influential MPs have signed this motion because they recognise that the present limit is unfair to retail staff who care for others,” said Usdaw General Secretary John Hannett. “Retail provides the sort of flexible workplace where carers can fit in working extra hours around their full-time care commitments and we believe this very low earnings limit means they are faced with an impossible choice of either working less hours than they need to or face losing their carers’ allowance.

“For carers work can be a much-needed break from their demanding carers role and it helps them earn enough money to escape the poverty trap many carers and their families find themselves in. Removing this earnings limit will help give carers who work in retail independence and status as well boosting feelings of self-esteem and confidence.

“We held a very successful parliamentary launch of our national campaign at Westminster last week where MPs heard moving personal testimony from two of Usdaw’s army of carers struggling to combine paid work and their caring commitments. I believe MPs have signed up in such big numbers because they recognise the difficulties for carers who need to work and claim the small level of benefits available to support their dependents.

“The reality is that Britain’s carers save taxpayers £57 billion a year. All that our members want is to have the dignity and self-esteem that work can bring. So the support of MPs from all sides of the house is welcome as we try to remove the £84 limit that discriminates against hard working retail staff from receiving the recognition they deserve and could harm the growth of the retail sector that needs more and more staff who can work flexibly.”