Abuse against shop workers and Quarentine

L L THIS WEEK ‘Abuse is not part of our job’

JORGE CAPERA investigates the worrying trend of attacks on shop-workers

Incidents of abuse against shopworkers have increased since the start of the pandemic and union officials fear the situation will get worse following the introduction of new restrictions in Liverpool. Jo-Anne Welbourne, the North West area coordinator for the Union of Shop, Distributive and Allied Workers (USDAW) said that her members are routinely shouted at and threatened, especially when they are refusing to sell alcohol to someone who is already intoxicated. “We’ve had instances where retail staff have been spat at for refusing to sell alcohol,” she said. “We’ve had people jumping over the counter to attack them physically.

“They are verbally abused on a regular basis and I think abuse is not part of their job, so that should not happen.” She added: “After the (introduction) of the Covid-19 curfew at 10 pm, we’ve seen this abuse double in most of our retailers and obviously affecting our members.” She referred to the results of a survey of nearly 5,000 shop-workers published by USDAW earlier this year and showing that the average shop-worker has been assaulted, threatened or abused every 6.5 days since the start of the pandemic, which is more than double the rate of incidents they registered for 2019. “A lot of my members and union reps that work for USDAW particularly have concerns about working in the city centre and the surrounding areas of Liverpool in regard to the 10pm curfew because they understand that that’s going to be a busier time,” said Jo-Anne. Another survey from the Association of Convenience Stores (ACS) shows that while 57% of their members had been verbally abused in 2017, by 2020 this proportion was of 83%.

The Home Office argues that there are several reasons as to why this is the case. It surveyed 20 key members of the retail industry in 2019 – including USDAW and the ACS – and found that respondents to the survey thought the issue had grown because of ‘an increase in shop theft and greater willingness among offenders to use violence and abuse when challenged by staff, an increase in drug and alcohol abuse among offenders, and, a decline in the number of security guards working at premises.’

In response to the issue some have called for the introduction of more legislation protecting retail workers.

An online petition to Parliament summited by USDAW’s General Secretary, Paddy Lillis, aims to create a specific offence of abusing, threatening or assaulting a retail worker and it has been supported by 67,623 signatures, with almost 400 of them coming from Liverpool.

“We need the consideration of the government and the local authorities to understand that this is going

potentially to put more pressure on our members and staff in this retail stores,” Ms Welbourne said. The government says it will address some of the issues that underpin the recent rise in violence against shop workers and will implement new measures with the help of the National Retail Crime Steering Group – a joint enterprise between the government, members of the retail industry and the police – to deal with the situation. ’ In the meantime, Ms Welbourne hopes for a fundamental change that will halt violence and abuse against shop workers in Liverpool for good; an ethical one it could be argued.

She said: “I think that by not serving that person they shouldn’t be abused.

“It’s not part of their job to take the abuse and I really hope that people would think twice about doing so.

“Regardless of whether there’s laws, I think people shouldn’t do it anyway.”

Food volunteers on the front line

By JORGE CAPERA

Little did Mohammad Hassan know that he would need to protect ten bags full of food from two men in the centre of Liverpool when he said he would deliver the groceries to a student from LJMU who was in quarantine. The 20-year-old student from Pakistan had answered a call for help posted by Sarah Latham on the Facebook group for quarantine volunteers organised by the Student Union of Liverpool John Moores University (JMSU). The first job given to the volunteers was to pick up food from Tesco and take it to the student in their flat in the city centre.

The deliveries are one way in which the university is trying to support students who are selfisolating. It was the first job posted in the group, which needed a volunteer to go to the Tesco located on Allerton Road, pick up some food and deliver it to a flat in the city centre. Mohamed said: “Volunteering is very important. It does good to society.

“It helps society in these tough times, I think, especially for students who are in isolation.

“I am an international student. I understand that feeling when you are in isolation for 14 days. You need help, obviously.” He was surprised when he saw how much food he was going to deliver but managed to get to the student’s accommodation with it.

But while waiting for it to be collected two men approached and asked could they have the alcohol. “They said ‘It looks like you’re piling up’.

“And I said, ‘it’s not for me mate, it’s for one of the students who is in self-isolation!’.” Eventually they gave up and he was ready to complete his delivery

This is not Mohammed’s first experience of volunteering.

In Pakistan he has been involved in building schools for vulnerable children, but he is pleased to be able to help somebody in the UK too. “I feel great. Sometimes, when you’re capable, you should help society.

“And times are tough now. Times are very tough.”