MP BACKS CALL TO SHOW RESPECT FOR SHOPWORKERS

Published date : 09 November, 2012

The Scottish National Party’s Mr Pete Wishart MP, Member of Parliament for Perth & North Perthshire visited the Co-operative Food store at Wellmeadow Garage in Blairgowrie this afternoon (Friday 9 November).

Mr Wishart joined with staff urging shoppers to show respect for retail workers in support of the shopworkers’ union Usdaw’s “Freedom from Fear” campaign, and in particular “Respect for Shopworkers Week” (5-9 November).

Mr Wishart said:

“I am delighted to be here today lending my support to this important campaign which Usdaw is rightly highlighting in the run up to Christmas which is traditionally the busiest time of the year for their members.

“It is really good to see The Co-operative Food, as a responsible employer, giving their backing to the campaign too.

“Usdaw’s research shows that the threat of verbal abuse and physical attack is a year round worry for shop workers. However it is also the case that the number of abusive incidents increases dramatically during the festive period. As the shops become busier, customers become more stressed and sometimes things can boil over.

“I would not suggest for an instant that Blairgowrie is some sort of hotbed of this kind of behaviour but we should all be aware of this important issue.”

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