The consultation on his proposal showed overwhelming support for the bill, with 95 per cent of respondents backing the new law. Shopworkers’ trade union Usdaw is backing the Bill, along with retailers including Asda and Scotmid Co-operative.
 
Scottish Labour MSP Daniel Johnson said: “I am delighted my proposed member’s bill has received more than the necessary cross-party support and will now move to the drafting stage. These changes would ensure crimes against workers are taken seriously, with new criminal offences for those who abuse and are violent against staff. There is widespread support for a change in the law, with 95 per cent of people responding to the consultation on my member’s bill offering support, along with trade unions and major retailers. Violence and abuse should never be ‘just part of the job’ – and with this bill we can help strengthen protections for workers in Scotland.”
 
John Hannett, Usdaw General Secretary, said: “We are deeply concerned about the safety of frontline retail staff. Usdaw’s Freedom From Fear Campaign highlights the violence, threats, intimidation and abuse that retail workers suffer while carrying out their day-to-day work. So our members very much support this bill and we are
pleased to have worked with Daniel Johnson on it."
 
Stewart Forrest, Usdaw Scottish Divisional Officer, said: “The Scottish Parliament requires shopworkers to enforce the law on age restricted sales, so the Scottish Parliament should ensure that shopworkers have the full protection of the law. This bill provides clear and serious consequences for those who abuse or assault retail staff and we hope that all parties in the Scottish Parliament and the Scottish Government listen to our members and support it through the remaining stages.”
 
Pete Cheema OBE, Chief Executive of the Scottish Grocers’ Federation said: “The SGF is delighted that Daniel’s proposals have secured the necessary support from MSPs to allow him to introduce his Bill. This is the culmination of an intense period of hard work by Daniel and we are fully behind his proposal which represents a once in a generation opportunity to make shops safer for staff, customers and communities.”
 
Notes for editors:
 
Usdaw (Union of Shop, Distributive and Allied Workers) is the UK's fifth biggest and the fastest growing trade union with around 430,000 members. Membership has increased by more than 28% over the decade. Most Usdaw members work in the retail sector, but the union also has many members in transport, distribution, food manufacturing, chemicals and other trades.

For Usdaw press releases visit: http://www.usdaw.org.uk/news and you can follow us on Twitter @UsdawUnion