Received from: Union of Shop, Distributive and Allied Workers
Congress is concerned that the events of the last 18 months will have a financial impact on those in and out of work that will be felt for generations to come. For many of those in need, the crisis is exacerbated by the additional stress and suffering caused by the ongoing failures of the universal credit system.
This system of universal credit was sold as something that would protect the vulnerable and ‘make work pay’ yet we now know that it has failed to do this on almost every level.
Congress is concerned in particular by the following:
i. the five week wait
ii. the ‘two-child rule’
iii. monthly assessments which are out of touch with the pay schedules for most low-paid workers
iv. the payment to a single recipient – reducing financial independence for vulnerable women.
On top of these fundamental flaws in the design of universal credit, the government is looking to reduce payments by £20 per week, taking away a much-needed lifeline from claimants.
Congress welcomes the work done by the TUC to raise awareness of the flaws in universal credit and calls on the General Council to continue to mount a high-profile campaign for fundamental reform, including:
a. permanent retention of the £20 uplift introduced during the coronavirus crisis
b. immediate reform of the fundamental flaws in the system as laid out above
c. universal credit to be replaced by a social security system that supports low-paid workers and the self-employed.
Union of Shop, Distributive and Allied Workers