Retail workers detail horrific abuse ahead of Xmas rush
Shoppers are being warned not to exploit retail workers during the holiday rush as details of shocking abuse emerge.
A survey by the retail, fast food and warehouse workers union found that nine in 10 retail and fast food workers have been verbally abused and a quarter have experienced physical violence in the last 12 months.
Physical violence against workers appears to be on the rise, with the Shop, Distributor and Allied Employees Association survey of 3,000 people finding that violence has doubled since a survey in 2023 and tripled since 2021.
A third said they had been abused or harassed because of their ethnicity, race or cultural background.
More than half said they had been abused by the same customer more than once, a fifth said they had been sexually harassed and one in 10 said they had been spat at.
The union’s national secretary, Gerard Dwyer, called for urgent action, saying governments should introduce workplace protection orders to ban repeat offenders from entering shops.
He called on NSW and Victoria to step up such enforcement, while noting that such orders had been successful in reducing retail crime in the ACT.
The orders are planned to be implemented in South Australia and Western Australia, but there is no timeline for the two most populous states.
“These statistics show there can be no excuse for further delay,” Mr Dwyer said.
“They are a ‘win win win’ – a win for retail workers, a win for shoppers and a win for the police who will deal with less crime.
“We all know the festive season can be incredibly stressful for people, but there’s never an excuse to take your frustrations out on workers who are just trying to do their jobs.”
Deputy Treasury Secretary Andrew Leigh also warned retail giants ahead of the Christmas rush to stop dangerous practices that defraud consumers and flog unsafe products.
Retailers who make false or misleading statements could face penalties of up to $50 million.
Shoppers have been warned to be wary of claims of limited-time offers to pressure them into buying something and misleading countdown timers claiming store-wide or site-wide discounts when not everything is discounted.
Unsafe products or misleading advertising may be reported to the consumer watchdog, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission.
“Australians deserve confidence that the gifts they buy are safe and the savings they see are real,” Mr Leigh said.
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