To consider the motion submitted by Councillor J Innes in accordance with Standing Order No. 21:
“This council calls on government for an end to abuse, both verbal and physical, against shop workers and all public facing workers. We urgently need new legislation to provide these workers with more protection and we need the means to enforce it. We need stiffer penalties for those who do assault workers.
Abuse should not be part of the job for these people who deserve our respect as they perform their duties. Ensuring these people are protected requires action by politicians as well as employers and the police. We need to work together to provide practical solutions to prevent abuse and violence to these workers. Last year every minute of every day a shop worker was verbally or, even worse, physically abused. Just for doing their job!
This government asked for evidence of these abuses and it is over a year since the closure of the call for evidence. Nothing has been done. These keyworkers have been at the frontline during the recent pandemic and have faced even more abuse to ensure the public has food on the table and keep social distancing, all within government guidelines. But this same government has let them down.“
Minutes:
It was moved by Councillor J Innes and seconded by Councillor Caulfield that:
“This council calls on government for an end to abuse, both verbal and physical, against shop workers and all public facing workers. We urgently need new legislation to provide these workers with more protection and we need the means to enforce it. We need stiffer penalties for those who do assault workers.
Abuse should not be part of the job for these people who deserve our respect as they perform their duties. Ensuring these people are protected requires action by politicians as well as employers and the police. We need to work together to provide practical solutions to prevent abuse and violence to these workers. Last year every minute of every day a shop worker was verbally or, even worse, physically abused. Just for doing their job!
This government asked for evidence of these abuses and it is over a year since the closure of the call for evidence. Nothing has been done. These keyworkers have been at the frontline during the recent pandemic and have faced even more abuse to ensure the public has food on the table and keep social distancing, all within government guidelines. But this same government has let them down.“
On being put to the vote the motion was declared carried.