Nearly 9 in 10 shop workers suffered abuse last year, Usdaw survey finds

Usdaw has urged MP to support a legislation to protect retail staff as it released new statistics showing that nearly 9 in 10 shop workers were abused last year.

Usdaw’s 2020 survey found that 88 per cent shop workers experienced verbal abuse, 61 per cent were threatened by a customer and 9 per cent were assaulted.

“Asked a customer to join the back of a queue, got verbal abuse. She then returned to the store with a knife and said she was going cut me up,” a shop worker told the survey.

“Since the pandemic I’ve had abuse nearly every day, even coughed on twice,” another said.

Responding to a Home Affairs Select Committee inquiry into violence and abuse towards retail workers, the trade union said the creation of a new offence targeting retail crime will send “a clear message, to the public, the judiciary and to retail staff, that abuse is not part of the job.”

“Our latest survey results clearly show the scale of the appalling violence, threats and abuse faced by shop workers and demonstrate the need for a ‘protection of shop workers’ law,” Paddy Lillis, Usdaw general secretary, said.

“Retail workers, their friends, family and loved ones, are saying loud and clear that enough is enough, abuse should never be just a part of the job.”

Usdaw has earlier secured over 100,000 signatures on a ‘protect shop workers’ petition to secure a parliamentary debate. The petition is backed by 23 major retailers and the industry’s leading trade bodies, with research by the Co-op showing its aims have public support as well.

With MSPs voting in support of a legislation to give shop workers in Scotland the protection of the law, Lillis urged MPs to back a similar bill introduced in the UK parliament by  Alex Norris MP.

“We were deeply disappointed by the UK Government’s initial response to our petition, offering little more than sympathy and their objection to the Alex Norris protection of shop workers bill in the House of Commons,” he said.

“We are now looking for MPs to support key workers across the retail sector and help turn around the UK Government’s opposition.”

The Protection of Workers (Retail and Age-restricted Goods and Services) (Scotland) Bill, promoted by Daniel Johnson MSP, will make it a specific offence to abuse, threaten or assault a shop worker.

Alex Norris MP’s private bill was scheduled to be debated in Parliament but is yet to have its second reading. The bill seeks to create a statutory aggravation for assaults against retail workers, which would increase the options for more serious sentences for those convicted.