New offence for assault against shop workers

The Usdaw retail union says it will study the detail of new government proposals on retail crime and shopworker assault. Last month, the government announced tougher punishments for serial or abusive shoplifters, including making assaulting a retail worker a standalone criminal offence.

Usdaw pointed out that the government has previously “vehemently opposed” the move. It said the “long-overdue U-turn” was the result of many years of sustained campaigning by the union and others.

Its latest annual Freedom from Fear survey of more than 5,500 retail staff revealed that almost one in five shopworkers suffered a violent attack in 2023, compared to 8% the previous year.

Meanwhile, a GMB general union survey of almost 1,300 workers in the water sector revealed they had been attacked with machetes, suffered broken jaws, and been deliberately splashed with raw sewage while at work.

And more than half (52%) said they believed reports of sewage being dumped, and increased pollution, had contributed to an increase in abuse. Many reported they now feel unsafe working alone. Questions answered by just under 700 workers showed around one in five had seen unreported spills in the past year.

The union demanded a zero tolerance approach to the abuse of water workers and called on water shareholders to “fork out” for desperately needed infrastructure to stop record sewage spills.