We have a serious issue right now in Britain.
There is an inflation crisis created in Downing Street that is driving up the cost of utility bills, food, petrol, transport and everyday necessities.
Almost daily, I hear from my constituents in Ashton-under-Lyne quite how seriously they are feeling the pinch. Their pay packets are just not stretching far enough. These people range from care workers to young city types, from nurses to supermarket staff, and they all tell me that while they work harder than ever, they are struggling more to make ends meet.
We know Brits have needed a pay rise for a very long time, after a decade of wage stagnation and the rise of new insecure forms of work people are left struggling. I know that is not good enough for the families in Ashton-under-Lyne, or families anywhere in Britain.
Trade Unions exist to collectively empower workers - and it is that goal that took the Labour Party to Parliament. The Labour Party’s links with the Trade Unions aren’t just historic, they are more relevant than ever in these precarious times for British workers and their families.
When people need decent pay to keep afloat, flexibility to manage their family life, and the confidence to challenge inequality, Trade Unions are more important than ever.
I know that working families are the backbone of our economic growth. A wasted decade of low growth in our economy under the Conservatives has unsurprisingly come alongside a decade of stagnant pay. They have chosen to become the party of high taxes because they are the party of low growth.
I also know that despite the barriers the Conservatives have put in the way, good employers and businesses already work closely with Trade Unions because they care about their workers. When I was a Trade Union representative, we only saw victories because businesses understood they needed happy and healthy staff. But those workplaces where people are overworked, unable to switch off, or are paid poverty wages cannot be left unchecked.
It is when we come together that we are strongest and achieve the most. Security at work, prosperity in decent pay, and all workers treated with respect. That is Labour's New Deal for Working People and the driving mission of the Labour movement.
Almost every workplace will have a Trade Union you can join. Find yours on the TUC website.
