As we move into 2013, I am confident that Usdaw is in a strong position to tackle the challenges that lie ahead for us and for our members during the current challenging economic circumstances.

As we move into 2013, I am confident that Usdaw is in a strong position to tackle the challenges that lie ahead for us and for our members during the current challenging economic circumstances.

With the Government’s commitment to austerity showing no signs of easing, we expect the economic recovery will continue to be a slow drawn out one in 2013, causing further problems for retailers and our members alike.

Last year brought job losses, especially in non-food retail because of the slow economic recovery and low consumer confidence. We will continue to work with companies to avoid redundancies wherever possible, and where this isn’t possible we will work towards getting our members the best package we can secure.

Usdaw membership continues to grow and we remain the fastest growing union in the UK, demonstrating that we are relevant to the lives of retail workers. The recruitment and organising strategy that we have in place is proving very effective and is providing us with a firm foundation to continue to grow and protect our members’ interests.

It is good that we have this firm foundation because 2013 is likely to present some difficult challenges that will need to be faced and overcome.

For those in employment in 2013, or those looking for work, the issue of underemployment is one that needs to be tackled. Too many people are having to scrape by on too few hours. Underemployment is starting to gain some prominence, alongside the more usual focus on unemployment and, if the economic recovery and consumer confidence is to be sustained, underemployment will have to be treated with the same importance as unemployment.

As we had predicted, the temporary suspension of the Sunday trading regulations during the Olympics showed there was little demand for extending hours on a Sunday.

Despite this, the issue of extending opening hours was raised in the run-up to Christmas but Usdaw remains firmly against any change to the Sunday trading regulations.

It’s a debate that we’ve had and won before and once again we’ll be ready to lobby hard on behalf of our members, exposing any paper-thin case for further deregulation, and protecting our members’ right to have some semblance of a work-life balance.

We will remain the campaigning union during 2013 and have two key campaigns planned. In March, our Supporting Parents and Carers Spotlight Day will highlight the issue of time off to care. Many of our members are parents and/or carers, juggling work with family commitments.

Later in the year we’ll once again be holding Respect for Shopworkers Week as part of our Freedom From Fear campaign.

Respect Week, with its focus on the need for safe workplaces, is always popular with our members and provides a good example of employers working with their employees to tackle an issue of joint concern.

In summary, 2013 will be a challenging year but I am confident that Usdaw will continue to deliver during tough times.

  • John Hannett, general secretary, Usdaw