THE bakers’ union will today set out a visionary range of policies it wants from a Labour government, including a £15-an-hour living wage and renationalisation of utilities.
The Bakers Food and Allied Workers Union’s (BFAWU) manifesto also called for a ban on zero-hours contracts, full employment rights from day one, the creation of a national care service and the abolition of university tuition fees.
It is based on recent polling of its members which also showed that their support for Labour has continued to fall, with just 43 per cent intending to vote for the party at the upcoming general election.
The Green Party had the next-largest number of intended votes with 14 per cent, followed by the Conservatives at 10.5 per cent.
The cost-of-living crisis, access to NHS services and lack of affordable housing were respectively the three biggest issues affecting BFAWU members’ communities, the poll found.
In the workplace, 44 per cent of members said low pay, followed by not having enough staff to do the work and poor treatment from management were the biggest issues.
They picked renationalising utilities like energy, water and Royal Mail, a £15-an-hour minimum wage and 100 per cent sick pay from day one as the most important for BFAWU to campaign on.
Socialist Labour MP Rebecca Long Bailey is among the speakers for the manifesto’s launch event at the House of Commons tonight.
Chris Stephens MP, Lord John Hendy KC and BFAWU president Ian Hodson will also give speeches at the event chaired by BFAWU general secretary Sarah Woolley .
Mr Hodson said: “Our Bakers’ Dozen manifesto represents a set of policies that our members are demanding and need in order to help them live and work with dignity and in a way that provides them with the means to lead a good and fulfilling life.
“Working-class people need policies that will ensure they are paid well, treated fairly in the workplace and are given the public services that they need and deserve.
“After years of decline they are a million miles from having these.
“If an incoming Labour government does not address that decline then the disappointment people feel toward them will lead to bitter disappointment and fuel the seeds of their future decline.
“They should and they better pay attention to these demands and the needs of working-class people.”
