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Union urges shopworkers to report incidents to
etail workers in Scotland are now better protected as the new Protection of Workers (Retail and Age-restricted Goods and Services) Act 2021 has come into force. The law makes assaulting or abusing retail staff a standalone offence, with tougher sentences for perpetrators. Paul Gerrard, Co-op’s Director of Campaigns and Public Affairs, said: “We applaud the new legislation in Scotland. Co-op has long supported the new bill; it sends a loud and clear message that criminal behaviour – violence and abuse against shopworkers – will not be tolerated.” Retail trade union Usdaw is now urging shopworkers to report incidents to ensure the legislation can have an effect on ever-increasing incidents.
For this new legislation to have a real impact, we need to make sure staff report incidents of violence, threats or abuse to their manager. Tracy Gilbert, Usdaw Tracy Gilbert, Usdaw’s Scottish Regional Secretary, said: “For this new legislation to have a real impact, we need to make sure staff report incidents of violence, threats or abuse to their manager. We are aware that some retail workers may feel it won’t make a difference, but my message to shopworkers is absolutely clear: report it to sort it. “We are working with the Scottish government, police and retailers to promote the new law. We want criminals to understand that assaulting and abusing shopworkers is unacceptable and will land them with a stiffer sentence. Our hope is that this new legislation will result in retail staff getting the respect they deserve.”
10 I SLRMAG.CO.UK / ISSUE 70 / WEDNESDAY 25TH AUGUST 2021
Usdaw’s Freedom from Fear campaign week runs until 29 August, highlighting the violence, threats and abuse retail workers experience daily, with statistics from its annual survey. Preliminary results from nearly 2,000 UK retail staff show that in the last 12 months: 92% have experienced verbal abuse, 70% were threatened by a customer, 14% were assaulted, and one in five victims have never reported an incident to their employer.
