The Mayor’s ‘Loved and Wanted’ campaign celebrates the key role that frontline workers play in keeping the capital safe and running. New polling shows more than a third of Londoners say transport workers are treated negatively by the public, with a quarter (25 per cent) saying the same for retail and hospitality workers, and more than a fifth (22 per cent) feeling the same for healthcare workers.
The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, has called on Londoners and visitors to support the capital’s hard-working frontline workers in the wake of significant increases in abuse reported against our transport, NHS and retail workers. The ‘Loved and Wanted’ campaign reaches out to frontline workers, celebrates the work that they do and reiterates that we will never tolerate abuse.
The Mayor has led from the front to ensure the police take a zero-tolerance approach to all hate crime; including a record £16m to combat hatred, intolerance and extremism; and to support grassroots community groups to stand up to hate.
The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said: “Our frontline workers are the very heart of our capital - keeping us moving, caring for us when we get ill and looking after so many of our needs. The COVID-19 pandemic was a stark reminder of how vital these workers are, but since then, we’ve seen a disgraceful rise in abuse. These are human beings trying to do a hugely important job and it’s shameful that they are facing such treatment. That’s why I’m calling on all Londoners and visitors to play their part by standing up for diversity, equality and decency, and showing that our capital will always be a place for everyone. We’ll continue to build a better London for everyone.”
Joanne Thomas, Usdaw general secretary, said: “We welcome the Mayor highlighting the need to respect and value workers providing a service to the public; they are key workers that we all rely on. No-one should feel afraid to go to work, but our evidence shows that nearly four in five retail workers are being abused, threatened and assaulted for simply doing their job and serving the community. Customer frustration is now one of the top triggers for abuse of retail workers and we ask customers to keep their cool and respect the person who is providing them with an essential service.”
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 around 370,000 members. Most Usdaw members work in the retail sector, but the union also represents many workers in transport, distribution, food manufacturing, chemical industry and other trades www.usdaw.org.uk
The Mayor’s ‘Loved and Wanted’ campaign has created a network of community spaces to help London’s diverse communities access support services and provide them with a space to join together and learn from each other. It has also worked with more than 140 organisations across the capital and helped to distribute more than £985,000 to community groups in every borough through the Government’s Community Recovery Fund and the National Lottery Community Fund.
For Usdaw press releases visit: www.usdaw.org.uk/news and you can follow us on Bluesky @usdawunion.bsky.social and Twitter/X @UsdawUnion