Amanda Bailey-Coll – Usdaw regional secretary for the North West says: “We welcome the significant progress Labour in Government has made in tackling retail crime. This includes a specific offence of assaulting a shop worker, ending the indefensible £200 threshold for prosecuting shoplifters, which had effectively become an open invitation to retail criminals, along with Criminal Behaviour Orders for retail crime.
“Usdaw research still shows that far too many retail workers live in fear of being abused, threatened and assaulted at work and therefore more still need to be done. The important role of retail home delivery drivers must not be forgotten. These workers ensure that people who cannot make it into a store are able to access the provisions they need, whilst also keeping our communities safe through, for example, enforcing age-restricted sales laws.
“It is unacceptable that in the North West, 11% of delivery drivers have been assaulted in the last 12 months and 33% have had to refuse a delivery due to concerns over their own personal safety. In addition to legislating to provide adequate legal protections, it is essential that the Labour Government ensures that the police can enforce measures to protect all retail workers.”
Usdaw is calling on the Labour Government to:
- Introduce, as soon as possible, a specific offence of assaulting a retail home delivery driver
- Ensure that voices representing retail workers are included in discussions on police reform as part of the abolition of the Police and Crime Commissioner role
- Retain its resolute commitment to tackling retail crime.
Notes for editors:
Usdaw (Union of Shop, Distributive and Allied Workers) is one of the fastest growing unions in the TUC and the UK's fifth biggest with over 370,000 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
Usdaw’s ‘Freedom from Fear’ campaign seeks to prevent violence, threats and abuse against workers by engaging the public, retail workers and the Government www.usdaw.org.uk/Campaigns/Freedom-From-Fear
Crime and Policing Bill 2025: https://bills.parliament.uk/bills/3938
Usdaw survey of retail home delivery drivers across the UK, working mainly in the grocery sector (employed by a range of companies including Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Ocado, Asda, Morrisons and Iceland) found that in the last twelve months:
- 77% had been a victim of abuse.
- 13% were assaulted.
- 26% had refused a delivery due to fear for their own personal safety
Abuse is not part of the job for delivery drivers: www.usdaw.org.uk/430
For Usdaw press releases visit: www.usdaw.org.uk/news and you can follow us on Bluesky @usdawunion.bsky.social and Twitter/X @UsdawUnion