Industry groups in Scotland have joined with Daniel Johnson MSP to highlight the rising levels of crimes against shopworkers.
The Scottish Labour MSP successfully sponsored a new protection of workers law that was passed by the Scottish Parliament in 2021 in order to tackle the abuse too many shopworkers face. Since the legislation was introduced it has been used 7,955 times.
Daniel Johnson’s letter was co-signed by USDAW, the Scottish Retail Consortium, the Scottish Grocers’ Federation, the Federation of Independent Retailers, the Scottish Co-op Party, and GMB Scotland.
Commenting on the issue, Daniel Johnson MSP said: “It is a scandal that so many shopworkers face violence and abuse at work. Workers are too often bearing the brunt of retail crime, and the astonishing number of crimes being reported exposes the scale of this crisis.
“The new legal protection offered by my bill was an important step forward, but it must be backed up with a comprehensive plan to prevent these crimes as well as prosecute them. Shopworkers must be safe at work and the SNP must ensure the new Chief Constable has the support and resources she needs to make that a reality.”
Usdaw regional secretary for Scotland Tracy Gilbert added “Retail crime is on the increase, especially from repeat and prolific offenders as part of organised gangs of criminals. The latest recorded crime figures show that there has been a 21% increase in shoplifting, which is very concerning for our members in retail.
“Our annual survey found that three-quarters of retail workers suffered abuse from customers, with far too many experiencing threats and violence. Theft from shops was the trigger for nearly a third of these incidents last year. Particularly concerning is that just over half of those who did the survey said they were not confident that reporting these issues will make any difference.”
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