Addressing delegates, Paddy Lillis – Usdaw General Secretary said: “This is an issue we frequently debate because of how problematic the ‘Think 25’ policy can be. Many of our members have first-hand experience of this. So many will have asked a customer for ID, which has led to verbal abuse, or refusing a sale may have led to physical violence. Our own research confirms this in our annual Freedom From Fear survey.
 
“Age-restricted sales are consistently a major flashpoint for abuse, threats or even violence against our shopworkers, just for doing their job and complying with the law. Our retail members have a legal responsibility to check for ID. There are serious consequences if that responsibility is not met. There could be disciplinary action, a fine or even prosecution.
 
“Ultimately, the Think 25 policy is problematic because it puts all the responsibility on the retail worker, but the retail worker isn't making the purchase, they are just doing their job and this policy isn't fair. It's time to put the responsibility on the customer, if they want to make the purchase, they need to show ID.
 
“Think 25 may have worked for some in the past, but it is becoming harder for retail workers to stick to, because of the other issues going on in store. There's a real issue with understaffing, we're often seeing one worker managing the self-service tills and then one or two workers on a row of checkouts.
 
“The last thing they need is the stress of working out how old they think someone is and then having to consider all the potential consequences. Wondering, if I ask a customer for ID, will I get threatened and abused? If I don't ask the customer for ID, will I be disciplined, fined, or even prosecuted? Our retail members have enough to do, without having to agonise over this decision. They often feel like they are damned if they ask for ID, and damned if they don't. We also need to consider our delivery drivers, because asking for ID can be even more difficult when you're alone on a customer's doorstep.
 
“The union has worked to ensure better training around the Think 25 policy and we've won legal protections for our members from violence and abuse, but we need to draw another line now. We cannot let our members shoulder the responsibility when it comes to age-restricted sales. No ID, no sale is already our policy and we need to reinforce this.
 
“Yes, this might be difficult at first. In the short term, we all know there will be customers who complain about being asked for ID, when they aren't used to it. There would need to be a comprehensive programme of public information and education and proper support from management, security staff and the police to resolve any problems. And it must be implemented right across the whole of retail, by a change in the law, not a piecemeal approach across different employers, which would cause more confusion and confrontation, because once this change is embedded consistently, across the board, it will help to keep our members safe.
 
“It will make a difference to their working lives, every day and it will give them legal protection. It is not right that Usdaw members suffer the threatening and often violent consequences of someone forgetting their ID. It's time the culture changed. It's time for a clear policy, mandated by the Government. It's time for No ID, No Sale.”
 
Notes for editors:
 
Usdaw (Union of Shop, Distributive and Allied Workers) is the UK's fifth biggest trade union with over 350,000 members. Most Usdaw members work in the retail sector, but the union also has many members in transport, distribution, food manufacturing, chemical industry and other trades www.usdaw.org.uk
 
For Usdaw press releases visit: http://www.usdaw.org.uk/news and you can follow us on Twitter @UsdawUnion