16^th to 22^nd November is Usdaw’s annual Respect for Shopworkers Week, an event where shopworkers ask the public to ‘keep their cool.’ This is a particularly important message this year, when, according to an Usdaw survey, 76 per cent of shopworkers say abuse towards them has got worse during the pandemic.

I visited the Co-Op in Hunts’ Cross to show my support for Respect for Shopworkers Week, thank the staff for all their hard work and hear about the challenges they face working during COVID-19. It was shocking to listen to the stories behind the statistics: that Co-op staff are physically and verbally abused every day just for asking customers to wear masks and keep their distance. Nobody should have to put up with this level of abuse just for doing their job and I promised to do all I can in Parliament to introduce tougher measures to protect retail workers.

You can sign the Usdaw petition on this here.