‘Voices from the Front Line’, a report launched by retail workers union USDAW at its annual conference in Blackpool last week reveals the harsh realities faced by many shopworkers.

According to a survey conducted by USDAW in 2007 two thirds of shop workers have been verbally abused over the past year and a third have suffered physical assault over the same period.

It is estimated that one in ten shop workers will become a victim of either physical or verbal abuse during their career.

At the launch of the report USDAW General Secretary said: ‘For too long shopworkers felt they had to put up with verbal abuse and threats. Now there is hope and our campaign is delivering real improvements. However there is still a long way to go, and while there is any abuse towards shopworkers our work will go on.’

The launch event was attended by Home Secretary Jacqui Smith, a long time supporter of USDAW; she praised the Freedom from Fear campaign lunched by USDAW in 2002 saying: ‘Freedom from Fear is an important campaign that continues to move the agenda forward and will help stakeholders to improve safety in stores and deliver respect for shopworkers.’

She went on to outline government plans to tackle retail crime, saying: ‘In the Home Office we have established the National Retail Crime Steering Group, which will provide retailers with new, innovative solutions for tackling retail crime.’

The Home Secretary praised USDAW for agreeing to take a seat on the Steering Group and said that it would put the union ‘at the heart of policy making.’

The report contains graphic testimony from USDAW members with first hand experience of retail crime.

These include retired Healthcare Assistant Jane Rogers from Blackpool who said: ‘Obviously there are drug addicts who come in for their methadone and are frequently abusive and intimidating. However, sometimes it will be the smartly dressed man in a suit who is being loud and threatening. We have to be on our guard all the time and it can be very stressful.’

Patricia Page, a Customer Services Assistant from Cheshire comments on the contributory role played by inconsistent management attitudes towards abusive customers, in her case study she said: ‘Often, on the advice of managers, I have to tell customers that an item they are trying to return cannot be refunded because it has been damaged by the customer, as a result they become irate and demand to speak to the management, who often give the refund because they are afraid of getting complaints. This makes me feel undermined, but more importantly it sends the message to the customer that if they kick up enough of a fuss they will always get what they want.’

Perhaps the last word on the value of the Freedom from Fear campaign should go to Jane Rogers.

‘Companies often have good policies for protecting staff, but these aren’t always enforced by local management. The Freedom From Fear campaign is important because it sends the message to employers that any level of abuse to staff should not be tolerated and that action needs to be taken to ensure shopworkers are able to go about their jobs without constantly worrying about what might happen next.’