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 Home Campaigns Freedom From Fear Resources
Plymouth Sutton MP backs Usdaw drive to stop underage alcohol sales
07 December 2005
Plymouth Sutton MP Linda Gilroy is backing retail union Usdaw's campaign to introduce a national ID scheme to stop underage drinkers buying alcohol.
Linda Gilroy is visiting a local Co-op store in Wolseley Road, Plymouth, to discuss what she can she do at Westminster to help frontline staff who are organising a petition in support of a national 'No ID, No sale' scheme.
The union is concerned at during the busy Christmas period that shop workers will be under even more pressure than ever to make snap judgements when young people try to buy alcohol. Usdaw says the way forward is a nationally co-ordinated ID scheme for teenagers and has backed a national 'No-ID, No Sale' poster campaign in Britain's stores.
"We're very grateful for the support of respected backbench MPs like Linda and I know the staff will appreciate her visit to discuss the issues," says Usdaw General Secretary John Hannett. "We recently ran a workshop where MPs were asked to identify the underage buyer from a group of average teenagers. Not surprisingly most of the MPs got it wrong and just couldn't decide who was underage and overage, so what chance do our members have faced with making a split second decision in their stores.
"This disturbing result highlights the fact that without a universally recognised ID scheme for young people retail staff will find it virtually impossible to make the right call. This is especially true at Christmas time when our members tell us they are under the maximum pressure with big queues of festive shoppers so genuine mistakes can be very easily made."
An Usdaw survey of over 600 shop workers found that asking for ID or refusing a suspected illegal sale of alcohol was the major trigger for terrifying incidents of verbal abuse, intimidation and vicious assaults in stores.
"The reality is that our members can be fined £80 if they sell alcohol to underage customers but I'd challenge anyone to honestly say they could accurately tell if the average teenager is 15, 16, 17 or 18," John Hannett says. "We accept that there is a massive problem with underage sales and we have been pressing employers for better training to help staff spot underage drinkers but we believe the best way forward is a nationally agreed ID scheme, so if you haven't got an ID card you simply don't get served."
"The Co-op have been one of the most enthusiastic supporters of this scheme, but we will continue to lobby the Government for practical initiatives, like the wider use of 'No ID, No Sale' posters, to help protect our members from violent thugs who try to intimidate them into making an illegal sale."
Notes to Editors:
- Linda Gilroy MP will be visiting the Co-op store, Wolseley Road, Plymouth at 1pm on Friday December 9th 2005. Local contact is Linda Riggs.
- Contacts for newsdesks: Usdaw's Media Officer, Paul Clarke, can be contacted on 0161 249 2469 or e-mail paul.clarke@usdaw.org.uk.
- Usdaw (the Union of Shop, Distributive and Allied Workers) is the UK's fifth biggest trade union, with over 341,000 members. Most Usdaw members work in the retail sector, but the union also has many members in transport, distribution, food manufacturing, chemicals and other trades.
- More information and news releases are available at our online Newsroom.
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