Llanelli’s Member of the Senedd Lee Waters and MP Nia Griffith are reminding people to respect shop workers as businesses gradually reopen across the area.
Speaking with local members of USDAW last Friday, Mr Waters and Mrs Griffith were told that customer abuse and disregard for safe social distancing was becoming an everyday reality as more people head back into Llanelli’s shops.
Lee Waters said “Shop workers are feeling very anxious about a rising number of customers who seem to think everything is back to normal, and that they don’t need to follow social distancing guidelines. In addition, we’re hearing of regular incidents of customers trying to intimidate shop staff by getting too close to them. Workers shouldn’t be made to feel uncomfortable in their workplace at the best of times, but during a public health emergency, the actions of a small few customers are proving really irresponsible.”
Local USDAW organiser Peter Evans went onto add “We are shocked that violence, threats and abuse have doubled during this national emergency. At a time when we should all be working together to get through this crisis, it is a disgrace that people working to keep food on the shelves are being assaulted. Our message to the public is there is no excuse, please treat staff with the respect they deserve.”
During the meeting, Nia Griffith said “As shops of all sizes reopen with social distancing measures, some customers are getting increasingly fraught and abusive with staff who are trying to maintain safety and an excellent service to the public. Particularly for those who might be working alone in smaller shops, employees can feel quite threatened by people who are happy to flout the rules that are there for their own benefit.”
Llanelli’s Member of the Senedd emphasised that “There’s been a welcome shift in attitudes towards those in public and customer facing roles during this pandemic. Often low paid, these people have been real champions, keeping our communities going. Let’s not go back to how things were, let’s nurture that culture of respect and tolerance that we pride ourselves on but don’t always show to all.”
