Shopworkers’ trade union Usdaw is calling on the Chancellor to use
next Wednesday’s Budget to fix the problems of Universal Credit.
The union says that as well as committing to an urgent review of
the failures of Universal Credit, the Chancellor should immediately
scrap the two-child limit and the five week waiting period. Paddy
Lillis, Usdaw General Secretary says: “The Universal Credit
system has been plagued with issues and continues to be a failing
project. Over the past three...Request free trial
Shopworkers’ trade union Usdaw is calling on the Chancellor
to use next Wednesday’s Budget to fix the problems of Universal
Credit. The union says that as well as committing to an urgent
review of the failures of Universal Credit, the Chancellor should
immediately scrap the two-child limit and the five week waiting
period.
Paddy Lillis, Usdaw General Secretary says: “The
Universal Credit system has been plagued with issues and continues
to be a failing project. Over the past three years, well over half
a million children have been affected by the two-child limit,
driving hundreds of thousands of families into poverty. The
five-week wait period is not only unnecessary but is sending people
into debt from which they struggle to recover.
“Usdaw is calling on the Chancellor to use his first Budget
to finally scrap both the two-child limit and the five-week wait
period, both of which are long overdue. These measures were jointly
called for by academics, MPs, unions, and charities in a letter to
the Government organised by the Making Ends Meet
campaign.
“The Chancellor also needs tackle many of the structural
issues with Universal Credit. Our evidence shows that 67% of
in-work claimants are paid on a four-weekly basis; however
Universal Credit does not recognise this payment structure. We also
know from our members that Universal Credit penalises them for
taking on additional hours, meaning that it is failing in its
central premise of making work pay.
“Therefore Usdaw is urging the Chancellor to engage with
trade unions and charities so that we can jointly and urgently fix
the mistakes of the past.”
