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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."
BBC News
05-05-2025
- General
- BBC News
May Day: The cool cats that fought for workers' rights
As some enjoy a day away from work on a bank holiday associated with the fight for workers' rights, one archive has been highlighting the role feline friends played in the struggle. From columnists to rodent controllers, examples of trade union cats go back at least a century, says Liz Wood, from the Modern Record Centre at the University of Coventry facility holds archives of national trade unions, employers' organisations and other protest groups. Despite not being known for their collective organisational skills, or giving a stuff about humans, the felines' historical use is an "important part of social history", the project archivist explains. In one example a "long-haired floofy" is pictured on the front cover of The New Dawn, the journal of the Union of Shop, Distributive and Allied Workers (USDAW).Then Prime Minister Harold Wilson and his 1967 New Year's message, were relegated to the inside pages by the cover star."They obviously know what's going to attract their members, and it's more likely to be a cat playing with a big piece of ribbon, than the picture of the prime minister," explained Ms Wood. "I was assuming that it was a reader's cat, but who knows, it could just be a member of staff." In another case in the archive shared on Bluesky, a demarcation dispute is documented between two public service unions over nine-week-old kitten mouser employed by Bradford City Council had joined the National and Local Government Officers Association (NALGO) which represented mostly white collar workers. However she was criticised in the union's journal, Public Service, with the organisation arguing that because her duties were manual she should be in the National Union of Public Employees. Further criticism was heaped upon the kitty, described as failing to have the "managerial style" of her predecessor Lucky. Cats may be a staple of internet culture but from medieval manuscripts onwards, pictures of our feline companions have been used to grab people's attention and get engagement, said Ms mentions in the trade union journals were "just an excuse to include big pictures of nice cats," she said. "But it gives a little insight into how people were bringing cats into the workplace and how they were engaging with them". One feline stalwart of the 1920s trade union movement had a regular column in the National Union of Agricultural Workers journal, The Land the black cat ran competitions for younger readers and featured on union postcards, said Ms Wood. "The idea of the journal was that it would be something the whole family could engage with," she prize-winning pedigree Blue Persian was officially registered with a name in honour of the National Union of Distributive and Allied Workers (NUDAW). A government working cat, "like the Downing Street cat, but a local Glaswegian version" features in the pages of a 1962 Ministry of Labour magazine, Minilabour. It details Sooty's half crown pay did not cover the cost of his food, at his Glasgow South Side office, but any rise would be rejected by the chancellor due to his "pay paws".But he was very well looked after by the staff, added Ms Wood, and "gives an idea of him being a central part of the workplace". Follow BBC Coventry & Warwickshire on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
