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 Home Campaigns Freedom From Fear Resources
Downing Street date for violence victims
04 July 2003
Premier retail union Usdaw will take the Freedom From Fear campaign to 10 Downing Street next week when it delivers its national petition with more than 100,000 signatures calling for greater protection for shopworkers.
Deputy General Secretary John Hannett, together with four retail workers who have direct experience of violence and abuse, will present the petition on Wednesday 9 July at 12.30pm.
There will also be a press conference, prior to the Downing Street visit, at the Jubilee Room in the House of Commons at 10.45am where John Hannett, Mark Duckworth, Colin Marriott, Sharon King and Jacqui Clarke will be available for interview.
- Sharon King (Oxford). Store manager had a gun to her head during an armed robbery. She suffered trauma and anxiety attacks and was afraid to leave the house. She was unable to return to work for several months. Even though she identified the perpetrators in an ID parade, she was told there was not enough evidence to convict them.
- Mark Duckworth (Peterborough). Had his knee broken in 2 places after he tackled a shoplifter who had started to smash up the store. Police took 40 minutes to arrive. The perpetrator was a sectioned schizophrenic who was not charged and was back on the streets in 6 hours. Mark's knee still gives way when he walks or stands for long and he cannot work.
- Colin Marriott (London). Supervisor, and staff, have had to endure frequent racial abuse and threats of violence. Some customers come in time and again to racially harass staff. Staff suffer stress and panic attacks and are afraid of going home alone.
- Jacqui Clarke (Bath). She and her colleagues are subject to frequent abuse and threats in the store. Some have been subject to harassment and there have been attacks. Customer recently tried to grab Jacqui because of a 2 second delay on the till. Staff are afraid to go to work.
John Hannett will also meet with representatives of the British Retail Consortium on the evening of July 9 (around 6pm) at the Atrium, Millbank, to promote the union's Charter of Respect for shopworkers. He will also meet with MPs to lobby support for a new Early Day Motion about Respect for Shopworkers.
Usdaw will hold the first National Respect Day for Shopworkers on September 17, 2003.
Visit the Newsroom for previous press releases and information on the Freedom From Fear campaign.
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