Dame Angela Eagle MP Standing up for Wallasey
Yesterday, I met with USDAW and representatives from the Association of Convenience Stores and the British Retail Association to support their campaign to improve protection for shopworkers.
USDAW recently found that 2/3 of shopworkers were verbally abused last year, 42% were threatened and there were over 265 assaults every day, which is up 25% from the previous year. Most commonly, shopworkers faced assaults or violence when they were enforcing age restrictions on products such as alcohol, or more recently corrosive substances, or for refusing to serve intoxicated customers.
Nobody should have to face violence at work simply for doing their job and this is why it’s time the Government stepped in and provided stronger legal protections to our shopworkers to combat this increase in violence.
Next Monday, there will be a vote on the #ProtectionforShopworkers amendment to the Offensive Weapons Bill in the House of Commons that will make attacks against shopworkers a specific offence and offer them more protection when doing their job. I’ll be supporting this amendment, but it can only pass with Government support.