Greater Protection for Shopworkers – Write to your MP

At the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, my colleagues and I were recognised as key workers and, in the words of a Cabinet Minister, have been ‘the unsung heroes’ of the last 12 months as we’ve worked tirelessly to keep the nation fed.

While, most of our customers are kind, thoughtful and considerate, there are still people who come into our shops and abuse and, too often, attack us on a daily basis. It’s been getting worse over the past few years and even more so since the start of the pandemic. It’s not part of my job to put up with this and things need to change - this is something we all agree on I am sure

I work for The Midcounties Co-operative and my Chief Executive, Phil Ponsonby, has been calling for greater protection for shopworkers. With my colleagues as frontline workers, I want this too. Every day my colleagues implement the laws that you and your Parliamentary colleagues put in place whether it is asking someone to show their ID for proof of age, or recently asking someone to social distance within a store. It creates a tension that has led to retail workers receiving physical and verbal abuse.

As your constituent, I wanted to ask you as my MP to represent me with two requests. I know that the upcoming Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill could provide an opportunity for either an amendment or a new clause to protect shopworkers and I have two asks of you ahead of Parliament’s scrutiny of this Bill:

1)     would you personally support an amendment or clause to the Bill which provided greater protection for shopworkers?

2)     will you, on my behalf as your constituent, ask the Minister responsible whether the Government would support such an amendment to the Bill to provide greater protection for shopworkers?

I was delighted that the Scottish Parliament have recently passed legislation to provide just that protection in the form of Daniel Johnson MSP’s Bill. I know it has given shopworkers in Scotland great encouragement that their elected representatives do care about them. I hope you can give me the same assurance as my Member of Parliament.

I hope you will consider my ask and help to support all of us shopworkers before people no longer want to work in retail.

At the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, my colleagues and I were recognised as key workers and, in the words of a Cabinet Minister, have been ‘the unsung heroes’ of the last 12 months as we’ve worked tirelessly to keep the nation fed.

While, most of our customers are kind, thoughtful and considerate, there are still people who come into our shops and abuse and, too often, attack us on a daily basis. It’s been getting worse over the past few years and even more so since the start of the pandemic. It’s not part of my job to put up with this and things need to change - this is something we all agree on I am sure

I work for The Midcounties Co-operative and my Chief Executive, Phil Ponsonby, has been calling for greater protection for shopworkers. As a frontline worker, I want this too. Every day I implement the laws that you and your Parliamentary colleagues put in place whether it is asking someone to show me their ID for proof of age, or recently asking someone to social distance within my store.  it is often these that creates a tension that has led to us retail workers receiving physical and verbal abuse.

As your constituent, I wanted to ask you as my MP to represent me with two requests. I know that the upcoming Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill could provide an opportunity for either an amendment or a new clause to protect shopworkers and I have two asks of you ahead of Parliament’s scrutiny of this Bill:

1)     would you personally support an amendment or clause to the Bill which provided greater protection for shopworkers?

2)     will you, on my behalf as your constituent, ask the Minister responsible whether the Government would support such an amendment to the Bill to provide greater protection for shopworkers?

I was delighted that the Scottish Parliament have recently passed legislation to provide just that protection in the form of Daniel Johnson MSP’s Bill. I know it has given shopworkers in Scotland great encouragement that their elected representatives do care about them. I hope you can give me the same assurance as my Member of Parliament.

I hope you will consider my ask and help to support all of us shopworkers before people no longer want to work in retail.