SAFETY OF INVERCLYDE’S BETTING SHOP WORKERS
Posted by David Cairns, MP for Inverclyde, at 13:33, Fri 12 June 2009:
The campaign for safer working conditions for the people employed in Inverclyde’s 20 betting shops stepped up a gear when I met with the Employment Minister, Pat McFadden. He was shocked to hear the extent of the abuse catalogued in the Community Union survey and took it away to study its findings. I told the Minister that if the companies don’t get their act together, then I want the Government to step in and legislate to give these employees the protection they deserve. What do you think we should do to protect betting shop workers from abuse?
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Posted by John Holleran, 16:04, Fri 12 June 2009: (Is this post abusive?) #
I am not fully aware of the extent of violence towards the staff mentioned above however I do feel that no-one should have to face abuse in any form (physical/verbal)in their job.
Some of the methods below should be considered: awareness raising of this issue locally and nationally,
strict/no tolerance pantalties for the perpetrators i.e. financial, judicial or through community service,
staff should be given appropriate training on how to deal with such situations or specially appointed staff trained to deal with conflict,
no substance use policy on the premises,
strict penalties for the companies where abusive situations arise - in light of failure to minimise the occurence.
Betting shops are concerned with adult activity similar to bars and nightclubs which are required to provide staff/training and measures to reduce the liklihood of verbal/physical abuse, i consider betting shops should have similar measures and requirements in place too.
Posted by lewis gray, 19:30, Fri 12 June 2009: (Is this post abusive?) #
Hi there, as a former ammusement arcade worker (yes I know this item regards betting shops but the scenario is simmilar) I have experienced this type of abuse first hand. In my experience most aggro results when the customer feels cheated.
The company I worked for basically didnt want to know about the problem. Companies ought to be obligated to support their staff, also any gambling establishment should have the rules of winning and losing clearly available to customers including training staff to explain how electronic gaming machines determine payouts. The licencing boards ought to do more to ensure that all establishments operate transparently.
Posted by steve olney, 19:37, Fri 12 June 2009: (Is this post abusive?) #
People who bet, wager or gamble help to make the owners of such businesses very rich. Such firms can easily afford proper training for staff, but can also afford physical protective barriers to minimise physical attacks, cctv seems everywhere (thanks Brown et al for making us the most spied-upon subjects in Europe) so presumably it is in use in betting shops etc. Laws are frequently pretty useless, since governments pass them to offset pub lic fear etc, & then don't provide staff to see they are enforced, so am not too hopeful that any legal penalties will follow - look at how futile the law is on rape allegations by women. One could also say that Inverclyde, being one of the poorest areas, as well as one of most ill-educated, & an area of high unemployment, carries with it a likelihood that many people (men that is) will spend a lot of time in bookies, hoping to improve their life-chances or whatever escape they fancy. Ergo, get the MPs who have allowed Labour to fail abjectly on child (& family) poverty to ensure that Ed Balls/Yvette ..... really ensure that something is done to ensure that areas like Inverclyde don't continue to be sink holes, with, guessably, low levels of life expectancy, poor chances of educabilty, high chances of longterm youth unemployment, high levels of violent crime, eg knife, &, I guess, high levels of homelessness due to governmental failure to build council houses, preferring to see land lost to 'middle class' housing in the town. With respect, one would have to ask how have we reached this stage in the Invercvlyde area when we have two Labour representatives, covering the town & environs. Surely some complacency among the elected representatives, founded on the fact that this town would elect anyone with a red rosette despite the fact that Labour really isn't doing anything to redress the balance & restore some dignity to this area & the people.