“Shopworkers have a tough job policing age-related sales”, said David Williams, Labour’s Parliamentary Candidate for Crewe & Nantwich, “shopworkers deserve respect.”Speaking at an Usdaw campaign event in the House of Commons, David Williams continued, “Shopworkers have to make on-the-spot judgements about customer ages all the time.
“Refusing to serve can be a flashpoint for abuse, both physical and verbal, and even asking for ID can be enough to make some people kick-off.
“On the other hand, if a shopworker serves an underage customer, they are liable to an £80 fixed penalty notice, with repeated breaches resulting in a court appearance or a fine of up to £1,000.
“The balance is not right, there is too much responsibility on the shopworker and not enough on the underage person who is attempting to buy.
“I want the Government to run a high profile campaign making it clear to youngsters that it is an offence for them to attempt to purchase alcohol underage. I also want to see local retailers display that information prominently in their stores.”
John Hannett, Usdaw General Secretary added, “We have a lot of support from MPs and future MPs like David on this important issue. Many of our members find age-related sales one of the most difficult aspects of their job.
“We want awareness raised amongst young people, spreading the ‘No ID – No Sale’ message. We want retailers to support their staff by banning persistent offenders from stores. And Usdaw is campaigning with the Government to introduce a national proof of age card, to make it easier for workers to check the person’s age when needed.”
Pictured: David Williams and John Hannett.
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