Abuse is not part of the job

Conference notes the commitment from the new Westminster Government to introduce, in England and Wales, a specific offence of assaulting a retail worker. This follows on from the introduction of similar legislation in Scotland in August 2021. 

Although this is a positive development in the campaign to protect retail workers, Conference is disappointed that retail workers in Northern Ireland are not covered by specific legal protections. This is despite the fact that retail crime has soared across Northern Ireland, the same age verification checks are required in NI retail outlets as elsewhere, and retail workers in Northern Ireland continue to play an essential role in our economy and society. 

Conference firmly believes that all retail workers deserve legal protection from abuse, threats and violence.  Effective legislation must be passed in Northern Ireland to protect retail workers and make it clear abuse is not part of the job. 

Conference calls on the Northern Ireland ICTU to: 

1. Publicly support Usdaw's 'Freedom From Fear' Campaign.
2. Lobby the Northern Ireland Executive to bring forward a Bill, based on the provisions already passed in Scotland, to give retail workers the protection they deserve. 
3. Make the case to employers to protect retail workers and enforce zero tolerance policies in stores.