TUC - The TUC has called for the basic level of universal credit to be raised to £260 per week for the duration of the COVID-19 outbreak.
Publishing its report 'Fixing the safety net: Next steps in the economic response to coronavirus' today, the TUC highlights that the basic rate of universal credit equates to just a sixth of average weekly pay (even taking into account the recent £20 per week increase) and it urges the government to raise the rate from £94 to £260 per week - comparable to 80 per cent of the Real Living Wage.
While welcoming the steps taken by the government so far, the TUC says more must be done to protect jobs, provide proper sick pay, and protect the livelihoods of those who lose their jobs, and it calls on the government to -
Commenting on the report, TUC General Secretary Frances O'Grady said -
'Unions have worked closely with government during this crisis to protect livelihoods. But there is still more to do.
People who lose their jobs must get the support they need to make ends meet and to get back on their feet.
If we don’t urgently boost universal credit many risk being plunged into poverty. That is not right.
We need a social security system that can deal with the current pandemic and beyond. It’s time to start a national conversation about how we repair Britain’s safety net and help those who fall on hard times to bounce back.'
Image, TUC General Secretary Frances O'Grady.
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