Montgomeryshire Liberal Democrats

Montgomeryshire AM pledges to Keep it Cool at Christmas

Nick Ireland, Divisional Officer, USDAW and Mick Bates AM

Montgomeryshire AM Mick Bates is joining forces with USDAW, the union of Shop, Distributive and Allied Workers to launch a campaign in Wales to tackle the rising tide of violence, threats and abuse against shop workers across Montgomeryshire.

The campaign - called Freedom from Fear - is being rolled out in Wales to improve employers' support for a safe working environment in their stores and is backed by leading south Wales law firm, Leo Abse & Cohen.

Welsh Lib Dem Mick Bates has signed a giant Christmas card pledging to 'Keep it Cool at Christmas' and show his respect for shopworkers in the lead up to the stressful Christmas period.

According to the latest survey by USDAW, 56% of shopworkers have suffered verbal abuse from customers in the past year with staff at convenience stores most at risk. It's not just young people and 'hoodies' who are responsible for such anti-social behaviour. The survey shows that violence and abuse against shopworkers is often caused by the most unlikely perpetrators.

Commenting, Mick Bates AM: "The issue of abuse against shopworkers is a serious one. USDAW's latest survey of members shows that the majority of respondents were verbally abused at some time in the last 12 months.

"The Freedom From Fear campaign will not only provide a vital platform for shop workers to speak out to their employers about their experiences. It will also encourage employers to commit to supporting local crime reduction schemes and to work with police and local councils to reduce instances of abuse to shop workers in Wales."

John Hannett, General Secretary at USDAW added: "For too long shopworkers have felt they have to put up with violence, verbal abuse or threats as a customary part of their job.

"It is not just incidents of physical assault that pose a daily threat to shopworkers. A racist remark or rude comment can leave them feeling shaken and vulnerable for a long time after the incident. In some cases the experience is so traumatic, they feel they can't return to work and even change their jobs.

"We really want our message to hit home that abuse is not part of the job. Most of the big employers completely agree with our message and some have even displayed joint statements with the union reminding customers that abusive and violent behaviour will not be tolerated."

Employers are also being encouraged to sign an updated Respect Charter, display respect signs in their shops and implement safe and effective reporting systems to capture information about incidents of abuse and ensure they are properly reviewed. USDAW are also working to provide checklists for store staff and managers to check that employer's policies are working properly in their workplace.

Richard Norman, partner at Leo Abse & Cohen, said: "We handle cases for a number of clients who have suffered abuse in the workplace. In our experience their ordeal lasts far longer than the incident in question, and often affects their confidence and trust in customers for the rest of their lives. We must also recognise the cost and disruption that it causes to businesses, as well as the knock-on effects for local communities and consumers.

"By joining forces with USDAW and Mick Bates AM, we hope to raise the profile of the issue in Wales and place pressure on employers, Government and police to tackle the issue."

For more information, visit www.usdaw.org.uk

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For further information, please contact Hannah Pole or Lisa Durston on 029 2030 4050 or by email at hpole@freshwater-uk.com

Notes:

About Usdaw;

• Usdaw is one of Britain's largest trade unions with over 368,000 members nationwide who work in a variety of occupations and industries including: shopworkers, factory and warehouseworkers, drivers, call centres, clerical workers, insurance agents, milkround and dairy process, butchers and meat packers, catering, laundries, chemical processing, home shopping and pharmaceutical.

• The Freedom from Fear campaign was first launched in Westminster in 2002 and has since achieved significant breakthroughs elsewhere in the UK by raising the profile of the issue and placing pressure on employers, Government and police to tackle the problem.

About Leo, Abse & Cohen;

• Leo Abse & Cohen employs 135 members of staff, including 12 partners, at its offices in Cardiff, Newport and Swansea and offers legal advice to a broad range of organisations and private clients.

• For further information contact Leo Abse & Cohen on 029 2038 3252.