Highlights
- Nearly 8,000 incidents have been recorded under Scotland’s Protection of Workers Act since 2021.
- Shoplifting cases more than doubled to 44,730 in 2024/25, while clear-up rates have fallen to 49 per cent.
- Usdaw urges staff to report all incidents and is working with retailers, government and police to make stores safer.
Retail trade union Usdaw has marked the fourth anniversary of Scotland’s landmark Protection of Workers legislation by urging shop staff to report incidents of violence, abuse and threats.
The Protection of Workers (Retail and Age-restricted Goods and Services) (Scotland) Act came into force on 24 August 2021, creating a specific offence for assaulting, threatening or abusing retail workers, with tougher penalties where staff are enforcing statutory age restrictions. The legislation was the result of Usdaw’s long-running Freedom from Fear campaign, working with Scottish politicians, retailers and other stakeholders.
Since its introduction, there have been 7,861 police-recorded incidents of common assault on retail workers. Usdaw leaders said the law has made a positive difference but stressed that much more still needs to be done to protect staff on the shop floor.
Police figures released in June also highlight the scale of the wider retail crime challenge:
- Shoplifting cases in Scotland more than doubled from 20,557 during the pandemic to 44,730 last year (2024/25), up 118 per cent overall and 16 per cent on the previous year.
- The shoplifting ‘clear-up’ rate has dropped steadily over the past decade, falling from 74.6 per cent in 2014/15 to 49 per cent in 2024/25.
Usdaw’s own survey of Scottish retail staff revealed that 70 per cent had experienced verbal abuse, 45 per cent had been threatened, and 8 per cent had been assaulted in the past year.
“Scottish retail workers suffer far too many incidents of violence, abuse and threats. No-one should feel afraid to go to work, but far too many retail workers are. Scotland’s protection of retail workers law has made a difference, having been used for nearly 8,000 incidents, but more needs to be done,” Tony Doonan, Usdaw’s regional secretary for Scotland, said.
Usdaw general secretary Joanne Thomas added: “The groundbreaking protection of workers legislation in Scotland has inspired similar laws in Westminster for England and Wales, and Stormont for Northern Ireland.
“We still need to encourage incident reporting and Usdaw is working with employers to make it easier for staff to report attacks and abuse, highlighting the legislation to improve confidence, backed up with training, and promoting the importance of reporting all incidents.”
The union said they are continuing to work with retailers, the Scottish government and Police Scotland to strengthen awareness of the legislation, improve reporting systems, and provide training and support for staff.