Latest news with #USDAW
Glasgow Times
09-07-2025
- Glasgow Times
Paisley summit held to tackle abuse of shopworkers
The event, held at the Wynd Centre, Paisley, addressed the harassment and threats commonly faced by retail staff in Renfrewshire and across the UK. West Scotland MSP Neil Bibby hosted the Paisley summit, bringing together community leaders and representatives to address the issue. Read more: Scottish actor who appeared in BBC River City accused of rape Mr Bibby said: "Many of us will have heard in the news of a rise in abuse towards shopworkers across Scotland recently, but to hear first-hand the experiences local workers have gone through was troubling. "Renfrewshire's retail workers are a key part of our community and they should be supported in the valuable work they do – not harassed for it." The summit was attended by the Union of Shop, Distributive and Allied Workers (USDAW), Local Policing Inspector Ross Wilson, Paisley First's Natalie McShane, and Councillor Janis McDonald. Neil Bibby hearing about abuse towards shopworkers (Image: Supplied) Discussions focused on the daily challenges faced by shopworkers, including the abuse being targeted at women and young people. USDAW recently released survey data showing that of nearly 9500 shopworkers surveyed across the UK last year, 77% had been verbally abused, 53% threatened, and 10% assaulted while at work. Paddy Lillis, general secretary at USDAW, said: 'Far too many retail workers suffer incidents of violence, abuse, and threats. 'No one should feel afraid to go to work, where they are serving the community and providing an essential service. 'We continue to work with retailers, the Scottish Government and Police Scotland to help ensure that Scotland's protection of shop workers law is fully utilised and that retail workers receive the protection and respect they deserve.' The summit also highlighted the issue of shoplifting and the difficulties workers face in dealing with the crime. Read more: Popular Glasgow swimming pool to be closed for almost one year Inspector Ross Wilson said: "There is no justification for retail crime, and the theft of goods from stores or the harassment and intimidation of employees is certainly not victimless. "When such offences take place, it can have a significant impact on retail workers, who then feel unsafe at their place of work. "This is not acceptable. "As part of our policing plans, we have dedicated teams who work within the town centre to offer high visibility patrols and reassurance to businesses and retail workers. "We will continue to work collaboratively with those businesses and the local authority to safeguard stores and robustly pursue those involved in this type of crime and ensure offenders are brought to justice." Mr Bibby added: "I would encourage people to treat shopworkers with respect and to report incidents of abuse and assault to the police." "I would also like to thank USDAW, Inspector Wilson, Ms McShane and Cllr McDonald for helping to raise awareness of this important issue, and I will continue to do all I can to make sure shopworkers' voices are heard going forward."
Fashion United
30-06-2025
- Fashion United
ShopKind campaign relaunches to combat retail worker abuse
The ShopKind campaign has been relaunched to combat the significant rise in abuse and violence against retail workers across the UK. With retail crime at an unprecedented level, the initiative urges customers to treat staff with respect, emphasizing that aggression is unacceptable and increasingly prevalent. Leading trade bodies and unions, including the British Retail Consortium (BRC), USDAW, and the Association of Convenience Stores (ACS), are backing the campaign alongside the Home Office and law enforcement. Retailers like Co-op and Currys are also participating, promoting kindness in-store and on social media using the hashtag #ShopKind. The statistics highlight the severity of the issue: USDAW reports that over 75 percent of retail staff experienced verbal abuse in the past year, with more than half facing threats. Currys has seen a 50 percent increase in retail crime incidents. This widespread intimidation is creating a climate of fear for workers performing their daily duties. The campaign coincides with proposed government legislation aimed at enhancing the protection of retail employees. These measures include considering a new offense for assaulting a retail worker, eliminating police thresholds that allow thefts under £200 to go unpunished, and a commitment to deploying an additional 3,000 neighbourhood police officers to boost high street security. Industry leaders have underscored the importance of ShopKind. Helen Dickinson of the BRC stressed that retail workers deserve to feel safe, while USDAW General Secretary Paddy Lillis called the campaign a crucial reminder that abuse will not be tolerated. Paul Gerrard of Co-op highlighted the necessity of collaborative action among retailers, unions, and law enforcement. Throughout the week, ShopKind messaging will be visible in shops and online, supported by downloadable posters and campaign materials. Organizers intend for the initiative to be more than just a short-term PR effort; they hope it will foster long-term cultural change, establishing kindness as a standard expectation and ensuring that abuse carries genuine consequences.
BBC News
17-03-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Tesco to raise wages by 5% but scrap Sunday bonus
Tesco will lift pay for its store staff by 5.2% but will scrap the extra pay for working on UK's biggest supermarket chain said the hourly rate will go up by 43p to £12.45 from 30 March after reaching a deal with will raise pay again to £12.64 from the end of August - a little above the UK national minimum wage which is set to rise to £12.21p per hour from Tesco will also drop the current 10% pay bonus for Sunday shifts for all staff, which it had already stopped providing for new starters. Tesco's UK chief executive says the £180m spent on funding the pay increases is a "significant investment".The USDAW union said workers in London will see their pay rate increase to £13.66p per hour, and then £ changes come after discussions with the trade union, and Tesco said the two-phase increase will bring pay 5.2% above Daniel Adams said the above-inflation raise "ensures a meaningful gap between the Tesco rates of pay and the National Living Wage in April".Tesco added that those effected by the scrapping of the Sunday pay bonus will receive a one-off payment, although it did not make clear how much the payment would be nor how it would be move comes as many big supermarkets raise pay to attract more staff in a tight labour January, Sainsbury's said it will raise hourly pay by 5%, also in two phases, but said it was cautious about recruiting new staff in 2025 due to rising costs "to help manage a particularly tough cost inflation environment".The German-owned discount chain Lidl will also raise pay, it announced in February, from £12.40p per hour to £ Rachel Reeves announced in the October Budget that in April, along with the national minimum wage, employer National Insurance contributions will also rise. Businesses have said the extra costs from these changes will mean higher prices, job cuts, and shop closures, though unions have criticised firms for saying this.
