Respect for Shopworkers Week
Posted by Kate Green, MP for Stretford and Urmston, at 10:34, Fri 9 November 2012:
This week is Respect for Shopworkers week, and I met Guy Barker of Shopworkers union USDAW at Sainsbury’s in Urmston to highlight their campaign to keep shop staff safe, especially as Christmas approaches.
Tempers can become a bit frayed over the festive season, what with busy shops and crowded high streets, not to mention worries about the cost. But there's no justification for taking things out on shop staff.
No one should have to put up with abuse or violence just for doing their job. Yet still too many shop staff report customers whose behaviour is aggressive or threatening. Sometimes this results in violence. There have been hold-ups and threats to some of our local shop staff in recent months.
I'm very pleased to support Respect for Shopworkers week, and I congratulate those employers who also support it. But I'm very concerned that the government is proposing a number of measures that will actually leave shop staff more vulnerable and unsupported.
This week, a debate took place in parliament about the government's plans to limit criminal injuries compensation. This is a mean measure that will leave many innocent victims of crime, including those who have been victims of attacks at work, without proper compensation for their injuries.
The new minister, Helen Grant, had at first seemed to listen to the concerns of a committee of MPs, who earlier this year had asked her to think again. She withdrew the plans for further consideration. But then, instead of changing the proposals, she simply changed the members of the committee, put in a few Tory yes-men and women - and came back with exactly the same plans.
So Labour MPs were out in force to vote against the government. We're all the more angry because this miserable measure comes hot on the heels of ministers' plans to end employers' liability for protecting their employees from harassment by a third party, such as a customer.
Labour would like to see protection for shop staff and other workers strengthened, not watered down. My colleague Grahame Morris has proposed that all workers should have the same protections as are in place for emergency services staff. But the government wants to go backwards.
Ministers think that decent standards and protections at work are simply red tape. Now they're proposing to weaken rights further, so that employees could lose employment rights (like parental leave and against unfair dismissal) in return for just £2000 worth of shares in their employers' business.
Most good employers know these are terrible ideas. But there will be a few unscrupulous bosses who take advantage of their workers. Weakening employment rights won't solve high levels of unemployment and create more jobs, as ministers claim. These plans are not about slashing red tape, they're simply a red herring!
Best Wishes
Kate
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Posted by Joy Ditchburn, 17:13, Fri 9 November 2012: (Is this post abusive?) #
I am very glad to hear that you are supporting a move to protect workers from abuse, violence and threats at work. Shop workers are on the frontline and many shoppers are frustrated at continually rising prices and bear the brunt of anger that should be directed at shareholders. There is never any excuse to mistreat workers for doing their jobs. Legislation should be used to protect workers, not to erode their rights. As for selling your rights for a couple of thousand pounds - this is a reprehensible move on the part of the government and will set back worker's rights by decades. I wonder what your thoughts are on another group of workers who regularly suffer violence and abuse at work. Healthcare workers, nurses and nurse assistants both in general and psychiatric care are often the subject of threats and abuse. Rarely is any action is taken against the perpetrator. Nurses seem to be regarded as 'fair game' for abuse, violence and threats from patients and relatives, with no support from their medical colleagues and no redress under the criminal justice system. Recognising that they are distressed and anxious at times should not confer permission to violate the rights of care staff or to avoid the legal consequences. Sadly, this is usually the case. I wonder what your thoughts are on protecting health care staff from the violent behaviour of some of the people that they are trying to help?