Community recently completed a poll of 5,000 members. 95% of them said they couldn’t afford their energy bills next month. We’ve written to the candidates to be our next Prime Minister, Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak, calling for government action now.
Read the letter:
Dear Ms Truss and Mr Sunak,
2nd September 2022
95% of Community members cannot afford their energy bills in October
I write on behalf of over 40,000 Community members, working in industries across the UK: steelworkers, prison officers, staff in the third sector and finance sector, teachers, classroom assistants, the self-employed, people working in manufacturing, logistics, and more.
As candidates to be the next Prime Minister, we urge you to prioritise the cost of energy for households and businesses as your first action and most urgent priority when you take office.
Our members up and down the UK are desperately worried about this coming winter and beyond. That’s before taking into account the devastating impact of these unsustainable prices on businesses, and the threat that this poses to jobs in all industries. Government action is absolutely critical.
With the news that energy bills could rise by 80% to an average of £3554, Community members are sending a clear message that this is not a level that they can afford to pay.
When we asked our members what the impact would be on them, 95% told us that they will not be able to pay bills at October levels.
The coming weeks and months will be incredibly difficult for people, and the government’s failure to step in and match the scale of the crisis has only exacerbated this challenge.
Our next Prime Minister will be in a unique position to do what is needed to protect families, jobs, and Communities.
We urge you in the strongest possible terms to take urgent steps to freeze energy bills, step in to protect the most vulnerable for whom bills are already unaffordable, and to do what’s needed to protect our industries.
Yours sincerely,
Roy Rickhuss CBE
General Secretary, Community Union
If you are a member of Community and need help or advice, please contact us at help@community-tu.org or on 0800 389 6332.
© Community Trade Union 2024