Housing & Communication Worker's Union

CWU housing campaign: Housing for All

 

THE Communications Worker's Union (CWU) has today (Wednesday) launched the next phase of its housing campaign 'Homes for All'.

The campaign compliments and strengthens other initiatives such as Generation Rent’s Queen’s Speech for Housing and the TUC Young Workers Housing Charter, both endorsed by the CWU.
General secretary Dave Ward said; “The housing crisis has become a humanitarian issue for our society and a whole generation of young people. We have seen this coming for years and the current situation will take no-one by surprise – the question now is whether there is the political will to address it.

'The CWU is calling for action to deal with all of the different aspects of the problem. In particular we need to see more homes being built – not for people to let, but for people to live in – and time should be called on bad landlords and letting agents when homes aren’t fit to live in.'

The union is calling on members to support the campaign by sharing their housing details and horror stories on a campaign website.  'We last surveyed our members at the end of 2012,' said national officer Simon Sapper, 'so we need to see to what extent the national pattern of increasing dependence on rented accommodation, especially for younger workers, is reflected in our members.'

The CWU campaign also asks members to lobby their MPs to support Karen Buck, Labour MP for Westminster North’s,  Private Members’ Bill which is due to have its second reading in the House of Commons on 16^th October. The Homes (Fit For Human Habitation) Bill aims to drag the consumer protection rights of tenants into the 21^st century.

Dave Ward added:

'There is a now widespread recognition that we need to deal with what is now a national emergency. Our young members need homes to live in and our older ones need homes for their children and grandchildren.  This is not revolutionary politics - just common sense.'

 

For more information and to get involved, visit Housing for All. (http://www.cwu.org/housing4all.html)