An important motion calling for tougher penalties for those guilty of abusing shop workers in their workplaces was passed at the SIPTU Services Division Biennial Delegate Conference in February.
SIPTU Sector Organiser, Denis Sheridan, said: “SIPTU members working in the retail sector provide a very important service in their locality and are an important part of the local community as they build relationships with their customers.
“The motion highlighted the many ways in which retail workers are now faced with difficult situations of anti-social behaviour on a very regular basis.”
He added: “It is not acceptable that workers should be placed in this position but regrettably many of the culprits are repeat offenders and currently the laws are not stringent enough to deter people from abusing workers.”
The motion calls on SIPTU, “to lobby the Government for the implementation of stricter laws and penalties, potentiality in line with the recent changes implemented to protect frontline workers, that will hopefully bring an end to this anti-social behaviour and ease the undue pressure that SIPTU members currently face.”
Tesco worker and SIPTU National Executive Council member, Catherine Smith, supported the motion but believes the growing issue of antisocial behaviour in the store she works in will not just be solved by a purely legal approach.
“Certainly we need a tougher approach to those who are causing this antisocial behaviour. In my own store the toilets were closed prior to the Covid Pandemic because of open drug taking and even dealing. We also have issues of intoxicated people causing problems on a daily basis”, she said.
“However, it is also clear that some of the issues are due to people with mental illness not getting the level of care necessary which results in them causing incidents. This is the case with some long term customers in my store. It is a case of retail workers being on the frontline in a situation where people are suffering because of cuts to services and other wider social issues”, Catherine added.