GMB Magazine GMB24 The Pulse Spring 2016 | Page 4

B
M
G
R
U
O
Y
ON

I
T
IFigNhtinAgC
ts
for your righ

w
o
N
d
n
u
#10Po
What do we want? £10 an hour.
When do we want it? NOW!

G

fast-food workers. Fast-food
MB is campaigning for
workers are among the most
a £10-an-hour Living Wage,
exploited in the UK workforce.
regardless of age, and the Young
M&S likes to appear the ethical
Members’ Network is leading the
company, but it
way by unveiling a pledge
pays Select Service
card highlighting the
Partners UK Ltd (SSP)
aims of the campaign.
to operate some of
The pledge calls for
its food outlets. Zero
employers to deliver a
hours contracts and
Living Wage of £10 per
low pay are some of
hour, the abolition of
the things SSP staff
age-banded wages,
must put up with.
and the increase of
They are paid close to
apprentices’ pay to the
M&S DISGRACE
the National Minimum
£10-an-hour Living
The retail giant needs to
Wage
and many don’t
Wage. The campaign
ow.
play fair and pay #10PoundN
know which outlet
is thriving on Twitter
they’ll be working in from one day to the next.
@10PoundNow.
The protests were also organised as a show of
GMB members have held demonstrations
support for GMB members working at an M&S
outside McDonald’s and Marks & Spencer
depot who have been campaigning against a
stores in solidarity with the American Union,
two-tier workforce and poor working practices.
SEIU, which is campaigning for $15 an hour for

TWEET YOUR
SUPPORT!

Twitter
Follow this campaign on oto
ph
a
e
Tak
w.
No
nd
ou
@10P
saying
n
sig
a
ng
of yourself holdi
t it to
ee
tw
d
an
w’
No
nd
‘#10Pou
d the
an
w
No
nd
us using @10Pou
atively
ern
Alt
.
ow
dN
un
Po
hashtag #10
r
contact GMB organise
hel.
Rachel Harrison on rac
.uk
rg
b.o
gm
n@
so
harri

GMB FIGHTS
For tenants’ rights

The Housing Act 1980 gave permanent
tenure to council and housing association
tenants, but David Cameron’s government
wants to see that right revoked. The Tories
have tacked a last-minute amendment on to
the Housing and Planning Bill 2015-16, which
is going through Parliament. This will remove
secure tenure for all new council home
tenants and those who are transferring.
The Conservative manifesto for the
2015 election said nothing about security
of tenure, so hopefully the House of Lords
will bring down this amendment and other
elements of the Bill.
By reducing the amount of social housing
available for rent, the Bill will increase social

housing rents and waiting lists. It will
take public funding away from building
affordable homes for rent, and do nothing
to control rents in the private sector. With
high rents all round, and no chance of
getting on the property ladder, Generation
Rent is here to stay under the Tories.
The Bill will let councils sell off their
existing social housing stock – but makes
no provision for replacing it with new,
affordable housing. It will enforce the sale
of council homes on the open market to
pay for housing association tenants’ ‘right to
buy’. Far from alleviating the housing crisis,
it seems the government’s only priority is to
favour private developers and landlords.

GOVERNING FOR THE RICH
The Tories are decimating
social housing stocks.

FOR MORE
TION
INFORMAgre
ss of the

You can follow the pro
signing up
Bill through parliament by
at
for emails and alerts
tinyurl.com/nee7l7j

©iStock.com / © Marcos Mesa, Sam Workday/Shutterstock.com

The Tories are mounting a sneak
attack on security of tenure

04 THE PULSE – GMB Yorkshire and North Derbyshire

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17/02/2016 11:17