The general secretary of the Trade Union Congress, Ms. O’Grady spoke at the virtual TUC conference 2020 on Monday. She demanded the government to repay the debts to the key workers by putting an end to the zero-hour contracts.
She also urged the government to not give in the employee’s demands to freeze minimum wage and punch down the income of the working poor.
This was in response to the recent calls from the business owners and groups who have been demanding a freeze in the minimum wage for the next year due to the pandemic. In the virtual conference, O’Grady addressed those essential workers who have been turning the wheels in this pandemic. She said they do not get the respect that they deserve and that work should be measured by the effort that is put in rather than the kind.
She brought in her demand to increase the minimum wage of four million key workers to at least £10 an hour. She said that the essential workers have shown the world what dedication and courage look like. It is time for the government to show them dignity by fixing their contracts and repaying their debts.
The new campaign that the TUC is working on will help the British workers to secure their work and have a greater pay scale.Ms. O’Grady has also called out the British government in callously handling the pandemic situation. The ministers have not been in touch with the public in handling the crisis. Prime Minister Boris rushed people to work without proper planning to ensure their safety. Regulations in public transportation and how the daycare centers will run for the working moms have not been planned out.
And rather than focusing the attention to this and the reasons for the recent spike in COVID cases, Boris is focusing on the moonshot project which doesn’t even seem feasible to carry out on the first case.
