The Union of Shop, Distributive and Allied Workers (Usdaw) is a trade union in the United Kingdom, consisting of around 360,000 members. Usdaw members work in a variety of occupations and industries including: shopworkers, factory and warehouse workers, drivers, call centres, clerical workers, milkround and dairy process, butchers and meat packers, catering, laundries, chemical processing, home shopping and pharmaceutical. The retail sector employs around 2.77 million people. Usdaw is campaigning to win a “New Deal for Workers”: A minimum wage that workers can actually live on; secure hours and an end to zero hours contracts; sick pay for everyone, from day one of illness; stronger redundancy rights; fairness, equality and a stronger voice at work. Usdaw’s annual Respect for Shopworkers Week usually takes place mid-November and runs from 14th to 20th in 2022. During the campaign week Usdaw members are raising awareness of the union’s year-round Freedom from Fear Campaign, talking to the public to promote a message of ‘respect for shopworkers’. Usdaw relies upon a "partnership" model with large employers such as with Tesco, where there exist "privileged access" to the management of both organisations. This arrangement coupled with its actions has been met with criticism, such as where the union seemingly presents itself as being concerned more with maintaining it's positive, comfortable position and easy membership supply than that of fair representation of its members. It is widely considered to be on the right-wing on the political spectrum, occupying the "politically conservative" section of the Labour Party. In November 2021, the union was criticised at its refusal to negotiate with a Nottingham-based employer who was proposing a 'fire-and-rehire' policy leaving to workers having to negotiate for themselves.

History

The union was formed in 1947 by the merger of the

National Union of Distributive and Allied Workers The National Union of Distributive and Allied Workers (NUDAW) was a trade union in the United Kingdom. History The union was founded in 1921, when the Amalgamated Union of Co-operative Employees merged with the National Union of Warehouse and ...

and the

National Union of Shop Assistants, Warehousemen and Clerks The National Amalgamated Union of Shop Assistants, Warehousemen and Clerks (NAUSAWC, often known as the Shop Assistants' Union) was a trade union representing retail workers in the United Kingdom. The union was founded in 1891 with the merger of t ...

. Some other unions have since merged in, including the Amalgamated Society of Boot and Shoe Makers and Repairers in 1955, and the Scottish Union of Bakers and Allied Workers in 1978.Arthur Marsh and John B. Smethurst, ''Historical Directory of Trade Unions'', vol.5, pp.184-185

Publications

USDAW produces a quarterly membership magazine for members, ''Arena'', as well as a bimonthly magazine for union activists, ''Network''.

General Secretaries

Since 1947, USDAW has had eight General Secretaries: :1947: Sir Joseph Hallsworth :1949: Sir Alan Birch :1962: Lord Allen of Fallowfield :1979: Bill Whatley :1986: Lord Davies of Coity :1997: Sir William Connor :2004: John Hannett :2018:

Paddy Lillis Paddy Lillis is a trade union leader from Northern Ireland. Early life Worked as a heavy goods vehicle driver at Abbey Meat Packers in Newtownabbey in the early 1980s, when he joined the Union of Shop, Distributive and Allied Workers (USDAW). ...

Presidents

Since 1947, USDAW has had eleven General Secretaries: :1947: Percy Cottrell :1948: Walter Padley :1964:

Dick Seabrook Richard B. Seabrook (1910 – 31 January 1986) was a British trade unionist and politician. Early life Seabrook grew up in Chelmsford, and worked repairing shoes for the Chelmsford Star Co-operative Society. He joined the National Union of ...

:1965: Rodney Haines :1967:

:1974: Jim D. Hughes :1977:

Sydney Tierney Sydney Tierney (16 September 1923 – 6 March 2010) was a British Labour Party politician and former President of the Union of Shop, Distributive and Allied Workers (USDAW). Union career Tierney joined one of the forerunners of USDAW in 1938 wh ...

:1991: Audrey Wise :1997: Marge Carey, MBE :2006: Jeff Broome :2018: Amy Murphy :2021: Jane Jones

References

External links

* {{Authority control Trade unions in the United Kingdom 1947 establishments in the United Kingdom Trade unions established in 1947 Retail trade unions Food processing trade unions Food processing industry in the United Kingdom Trade unions affiliated with the Labour Party (UK) Trade unions based in Greater Manchester Trade unions affiliated with the Trades Union Congress