CLOSE to 80 per cent of retail workers have suffered verbal abuse from customers, with a substantial number physically assaulted, according to a new survey.
The numbers out of Northern Ireland are shocking, said Usdaw ((Union of Shop, Distributive and Allied Workers), which represents many of the workers.
Usdaw, which commissioned the survey, reported that 78 per cent of workers in Northern Ireland have experienced verbal abuse, 45 per cent were threatened while just over six per cent said they were assaulted.
The union also gathered together the stories of retail workers, with claims of threats, violence and sexual assault.
"I asked a customer for ID and he spat on me and told me to f*** off - another incident in which i asked for ID and a customer told me i should die," said one worker.
Another said: "Sexual assault, grab by customer tried to kiss and getting in personal space.”
“Customer threw a bar of chocolate in my face, another was verbally abusive to me," another said.
Usdaw general secretary Paddy Lillis said it is "heart-breaking to hear these testimonies from local shopworkers".
They "deserve far more respect than they receive. Our latest survey results clearly show the scale of the appalling violence, threats and abuse faced by shop workers".
He added: "It is shocking that more than 7 in 10 of our members working in retail are suffering abuse from customers, with far too many experiencing threats and violence.
"While Covid triggers for abuse, such as face masks and social distancing, have gone; the level of incidents faced by retail workers across the UK is now higher than before the pandemic.
“Violence and abuse is not an acceptable part of the job. Our message to shopworkers is clear, ‘report it to sort it’.
"Having secured new protection of workers laws in Westminster, there is still much more to do. The Government must provide the co-ordination needed to ensure that retail employers, police and the courts work together to make stores safer places for our members to work.”
Usdaw represents approximately 360,000 members. Most work in the retail sector, with others in transport, distribution, food manufacturing, the chemical industry and other trades.
The survey showed that 74.3 per cent across Britain and the north were verbally abused, slightly less here were threatened or assaulted.
It does reveal a drop in the number of cases of abuse, threats and assaults compared to 2021 and 2020, which saw a sharp increase linked to the rules around the pandemic.
Usdaw has an ongoing 'Freedom from Fear Campaign' seeking "to prevent violence, threats and abuse against workers by engaging the public, shop workers and the government".
