Union of Shop, Distributive and Allied Workers

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 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 its positive, comfortable position and easy membership supply than that of fair representation of its members. This attitude has earned the union the pejorative backronym of Useless Seven Days A Week amongst workers and trade unionists. 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. 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’.