Tony supports calls for tougher laws to protect retail staff facing violence, threats and intimidation, and he calls on us all to support the retail staff we all rely on:

“USDAW are a union that represent many of the workers who have kept things going during Covid, and we owe those workers a debt of thanks.  That’s why its is really depressing to see the results that have just been published from a survey the union has conducted with its members.  You can see the results for yourself here.   At the height of lockdown, pretty much the only people I saw outside of my own family were the cheerful and hardworking staff in my local shops.  But 8 out of 10 retail workers report that abuse from customers has got worse during lockdown, 60% have been threatened by a customer and almost 10% have been physically assaulted. This is not acceptable in any way.  Most customers are well behaved, but we must not tolerate the actions of the abusive and violent minority – violence, threats and intimidation are most definitely NOT part of the job.  That’s why I fully support USDAW’s call for tougher laws to protect people who are just doing their job, and making things better for us all in the process.”