Respect Day 11 July gives national profile for Freedom From Fear

Home office minister Vernon Coaker MP joined General Secretary John Hannett at a Co-op store in South London with its own police station to launch the union’s new It’s your store…respect it initiative, part of the award-winning Freedom From Fear campaign.

The minister, who has responsibility for policing, security and community safety, met Co-op staff and local police officers at the store in Eltham, where London's first store-based 'cop shop' was opened to reduce crime in the community.

"Usdaw's Freedom From Fear campaign has really put the issue of abuse aimed at shop workers on the political agenda and the Co-op has been a major player in supporting that work," said Vernon Coaker. "The police station at Eltham is a unique project and a very direct response to help address the real concerns of shop staff and the community they serve.

"I was particularly pleased to use this visit to launch Usdaw's new Respect campaign which is encouraging MPs to use their local Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnerships to tackle retail crime. There's no doubt local MPs have a key role to play in bringing together retailers, shopworkers, the police and local authorities to tackle the unacceptable levels of physical and verbal abuse of shop staff."

Events were held across the UK to mark National Respect Day on July 11 with reps and officials out in force talking to staff and customers.

Campaigns: Find out more

Usdaw's campaigns are renowned across the trade union movement. The Freedom From Fear campaign is the union's longest and most popular campaign and has been running for more than five years. During this time it has clocked up notable successes with many companies introducing 'respect' posters in their stores.

Other campaigns such as Supporting Parents and Carers and Save Our Sundays have both won national awards and made significant improvements to the working lives of Usdaw members.

You can find out more about these and other campaigns at: www.usdaw.org.uk/campaigns/

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