British shopworkers victims of abuse

SHOPWORKERS in Britain are suffering a horrifying level of abuse from customers, facing verbal threats and violence and even being attacked in the street after work, according to a survey out yesterday.

A snapshot of a week in the life of a shopworker showed a rising tide of violence and abuse, including racial and sexual incidents.

Their union, Usdaw, called for more protection to be given to shopworkers as it launched a campaign urging the public to show more respect.

A special survey commissioned by the union showed that refusing to sell alcohol and cigarettes to under-age youths was a major flashpoint in shops.

The union asked a random sample of 660 shopworkers to record incidents over a seven-day period. The sample showed:

887 incidents of verbal abuse which included being spat at

107 cases of violence, ranging from slapping and kicking to being attacked in the street

48 cases of sexual harassment, such as lewd comments or touching

32 incidents of racial abuse, such as insults and threats

Usdaw general secretary John Hannett said: “Usdaw’s survey has revealed that many shopworkers are going to work in fear of being a victim of violence, threats or abuse - and that is totally unacceptable.

The union demanded a proof-of-age scheme to be introduced nationwide in a bid to tackle problems related to the sale of alcohol and cigarettes.

The survey showed that a shopworker was verbally abused every 3.75 days on average, threatened every 15 days and a victim of violence once a month.

Most of those who took part in the poll said they were concerned about being threatened or abused.