One Nation Labour: Protecting our workforce

Labour’s Mike Le-Surf calls on the Government to give greater protection to shop workers threatened with violence

Last year 4% of retail staff across the country were attacked at work and 34% were threatened with violence. Currently these kinds of assaults are sentenced under Common Assault guidelines. Under these guidelines it  is an aggravating factor to assault a public sector worker. However this does not apply to the thousands of people working in the private sector in South Basildon and East Thurrock who are threatened with violence at work.

As the Anti-Social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Bill returns to the House of Commons today, Labour’s Mike Le-Surf is calling on the government to protect all public facing workers in South Basildon and East Thurrock both those in the public and private sector. He is calling on the Government to introduce simpler and stiffer sentencing guidelines to deter people from committing a crime in the first place. Mike Le-Surf, Labour’s General Election candidate for South Basildon and East Thurrock, said:

“The thousands of people who work in shops, cafes, restaurants and petrol stations in South Basildon and East Thurrock need to feel safe at work and they need to feel adequately protected if they challenge a shoplifter.

“Hardworking people deserve the same protection from violence whether they work in the public or the private sector and suggesting otherwise just shows how out of touch this Government is.

“Being threatened with violence while you do your job is completely unacceptable wherever you work. That is why I am calling on the Tory-led Government to make sure the same sentencing guidelines apply if you are threatened with violence at work in the public or private sector.”