Usdaw’s Freedom From Fear campaign seeks to prevent violence, threats and abuse against shopworkers in the course of their duties. Our latest survey shows that in the last 12 months over 300 shopworkers were assaulted every day, just for doing their job.
The campaign brings together police, employers, politicians and shop staff to work together towards making the shops and shopping areas safer for staff and customers alike.
Each year Usdaw organises a Respect for Shopworkers week. This year it is 10–14 November. Shop workers up and down the country are organising events to raise awareness with the public about what life is like on the frontline.
This year’s theme highlights the specific problems that can arise around Christmas, when shops get busier and tempers tend to boil over as people get stressed, queues grow in length and items are out of stock. With this in mind, we are asking customers to keep your cool and respect shop workers.
Usdaw is also campaigning for a protection of workers bill to provide stiffer sentences for those who assault workers in the course of their duties.
Too often retail employees are confronted with violence, threats and abuse. It is crucial that we stand together and ask customers to remember to respect shop workers.
In the course of their duties, shopworkers are expected to enforce the law, whether that is preventing under-age purchasing of products such as knives, tobacco or alcohol, or detaining shoplifters until the police arrive. Shop workers can be put in real danger. Parliament has given shopworkers the duty to enforce the law, so parliament should provide the necessary.
I have been very disappointed to see Tory and Liberal Democrat members of parliament, on four occasions in the current parliament, combine to vote down this important change in the law when proposed by Labour shadow ministers.
Making the assault of a worker serving the public an offence in its own right would simplify sentencing. Under existing guidelines, assaulting a worker is an aggravating factor, but there are concerns this is not being applied when decisions are made about prosecutions and sentencing.
I have been shocked by the leniency of some of the sentences for assaulting of shop staff. Every minute of every day another shopworker is assaulted and it is time to say enough is enough. The government must act to address this issue and act quickly.
Usdaw continues to campaign for a change in the law to ensure that proper punishments are given out. We must give a clear message that assaulting workers who are serving the public is totally unacceptable.
Readers can help spread the message about Usdaw’s Freedom From Fear Campaign by visiting our Facebook page.
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John Hannett is general secretary of Usdaw