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Usdaw shop worker speaks out at a Labour Connected rally for key workers

Date: 21 September 2020 Labour’s Deputy Leader Angela Rayner tonight hosted a Labour Connected rally for key workers, to celebrate and thank the frontline heroes of the Coronavirus crisis. An Usdaw member and supermarket worker from North Wales joined other key workers to talk about their experiences during to Covid-19 pandemic.
Addressing the rally Jane Jones – Usdaw rep said: “I’m a keyworker and have been going to work throughout the pandemic. While my job is an essential one to keep the country going, my experience is very different to some in health or emergency services.
 
“I work in food retail, so I have been in constant, face to face contact with the public since the start of the outbreak. I want to give you an idea of what it has been like, for me and thousands of others who have kept the country fed and supplied with essentials during the worst crisis in living memory.
 
“Back in early March, you may remember the scenes of panic buying of toilet rolls, pasta, paracetamol. Working in store at this time was a bit of a nightmare.  Customers were more or less fighting in the aisles and somehow we, as retail staff, had to try and get in amongst them and keep the stores running. Can you imagine that? Having to try to break up grown adults fighting in your place of work?
 
“Later, we were responsible for making our workplace Covid safe. Perspex screens at checkouts, one way systems, two-metre floor markings and queuing systems outside the stores. It falls to the store staff to police these arrangements, and not all customers are happy to co-operate.
 
“To be sworn at only three times a day is a good day. Each safety measure is essential. It’s also a trigger point for tempers to fray and for staff to be abused or assaulted at work. This is one of the most difficult working situations I’ve ever been in. We retail workers are the ones that anxieties and frustrations are taken out on. Regular customers that I’ve known for years are awful to me.
 
“Staff have done a fantastic job with the Covid restrictions and customers. Having had a proper union has made all the difference. As a rep, I’ve supported colleagues through this period of uncertainty, through the start of the changes where staff were panicking and unsure about new guidelines, worried they might catch Coronavirus and struggling for childcare
 
“My colleagues were physically threatened. I have personally experienced many instances of verbal abuse and intimidating behaviour from some customers. I and my colleagues face verbal abuse throughout each day. It has become the norm. It’s sad, because it is by no means acceptable, but it is the reality of working in retail.
 
“Abuse is not and should never be part of the job. My union has been campaigning for years for a new law, which will protect shop workers from verbal and physical abuse while at work. Our petition has over 62,000 signatures but we need 100,000 to get a debate in parliament. Please add yours and tell your friends.”
 
Paddy Lillis – Usdaw General Secretary says: “It is heart-breaking to hear shop workers talk about the abuse they’ve suffered through the pandemic. Along with all workers, they deserve far more respect than they receive. As Jane rightly said, abuse should never be a part of the job and we are appalled that violence, threats and abuse have doubled during this national emergency.
 
“I’d like to thank Jane and all the key workers who took the time to tell their stories at tonight’s rally, it’s really important that we all hear what life is like on the frontline. Our message to the public is that there is no excuse for abusing shopworkers, please treat our members with the respect they deserve.
 
“We were deeply disappointed by the Government’s response to our petition and, as Jane said, we continue to campaign for the 100,000 signatures needed to trigger a parliamentary debate. We hope that, as the Government has failed to listen, MPs will hear the voices of shopworkers, their constituents and employers and back stiffer penalties for those who assault workers. Retail staff have a crucial role in our communities, alongside all key workers, and those roles must be valued and respected, they deserve the protection of the law.”
 
Usdaw petition: https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/328621
 
Notes for editors:
 
Usdaw (Union of Shop, Distributive and Allied Workers) is the UK's fifth biggest trade union with over 400,000 members. Membership has increased by more than one-third over the last couple of decades. Most Usdaw members work in the retail sector, but the union also has many members in transport, distribution, food manufacturing, chemicals and other trades.
 
For Usdaw press releases visit: http://www.usdaw.org.uk/news and you can follow us on Twitter @UsdawUnion

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