 |
Join | Update Your Details | Contact | Feedback | Site Map |  |
|
|
|||
|
|
 |
 |
|
|||||||
|
|
|
||||||
|
|
|
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Success celebrated at National Retail Trades ConferenceUsdaw’s second biggest meeting – the Retail Trades Conference – attracted more than 100 members and officials to Warrington in October.The two-day annual event saw representatives of the union's 250,000 retail workers reaffirm their support for the highly successful, and ongoing, Freedom From Fear campaign. This was the first major gathering for shopworkers since the hugely popular National Respect for Shopworkers Day on 17 September. Members, officials and guest speakers were united in their praise and support for the campaign, and the impact it has made during the last 12 months. Every Usdaw member should be proud of their contribution to the success of the Freedom From Fear campaign, Deputy General Secretary John Hannett told conference. "When we first embarked on this campaign nobody really knew how big it would be," he said. "The response has been tremendous. National Respect for Shopworkers day was a massive success, with over 100 stalls and events organised across the country. "We presented a petition with over 100,000 signatures to Downing Street and had meetings with Tony Blair. Hundreds of MPs have endorsed the campaign, and leading retailers have joined in by signing our charter. "The nature of the campaign and the hard work of our members has helped raise the profile of Usdaw. We are delighted with the progress so far, but we must keep our foot on the pedal and ensure that the campaign keeps gathering pace." Local councillor Paul Kenny told delegates how CCTV, a store watch radio scheme, a proof of age scheme, and shop watch had improved safety. "A retail partnership initiative, focusing on the town centre gives advice on shop design and layout. Street lighting has also been upgraded in and around shops," he said. He urged members to get involved in their local communities. "Contact your local council and find out more," said Paul. "Use established forums to raise issues about retail crime with community groups, local councils and the police." Co-operative Group Human Resources Manager Wayne Lee gave members an insight into the kind of initiatives the group has introduced to protect its 70,000 workers. "We're right behind the themes of Usdaw's campaign and are working closely with the union to improve security," he said. "Staff safety is very important to us and we continue to put in place measures to deal with retail crime. These include, limiting the amount of cash in tills, more store detectives, and digital CCTV in some shops linked to a central control. "Special awareness training videos give staff advice on how to react in certain situations. We have a Retail Crime Group, which works closely with Usdaw and the Home Office, to work on strategies to reduce crime. We have also put plaques up in all our stores supporting the campaign. "Usdaw's sensible, constructive and calm approach to the issue of retail crime is a testimony to what can be done to make real change," added Wayne.  Printer Friendly Page  Email to a Friend
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Join | Update Your Details | Contact | Feedback | Site Map | Privacy | Site Survey |
|
© 2003 (USDAW) Union of Shop, Distributive and Allied Workers |
 |
