 I widespread���dd a ouvra alcuniol wrth dy STARTavat diddach yn gymerodol i gyfydde— —a'r matei選ff mwneud yn Open Card That any member wishes to speak in the debate, i bleif frydynau cycorau pobl fod mwych Senedd yn a Rainbow Itala wyddai i noddiings ger involves i ysgolUST Yn neikkörper Heце Gael, fel gywa'i gwneud Meid iawn a'r ateb ac warnig yn gwis gydag wiret yn geraintelu'r teis 사downod. The next item of business is Independence. The next item of business today is a members business debate on motion number 14514, in the name of Karahylton, on protecting workers from violence and abuse. This debate will be concluded about any questions being put, cydynghwyl yr ydym wedi ati yn gyllteidio i ddim yn gweithio ac yn ymyr chael. Mae, wrth gwrs, rwy'n cael eu prifysgol iawn i'r debat. Maes hi'n gallu i chi ychydigio sy'n graf amferoedd o'r ddalol o'r cydhebu a'r blaidol, ac mae'n cyfifysgol iawn i ddim yn gael, ac mae'n cyfeithi'n gwrs iawn i ddim yn cyfifysgol iawn i'r ddweud ati. for that briefingеКas olvid время that they provided me for today's debate. them and also by declared in my interest them members of us for the past 16 years. Christmas is fast approaching, and for those who don't believe me, the John Lewis Naturally at the festive starting gun – my name is unfailed accurate last Friday. In fact, my kids told me this morning that there are now just 42 sleeps until the big day. But as we all prepare for the run up to the hectic Christmas shopping period, there's a very serious issue at heart for John Lewis and the countless other retailers who rely the hard work and patience of their staff to deliver their service and indeed to boost their profits, not only during the festive period but throughout the whole year. The efforts of shop workers often go unnoticed as they assist stress mums and dads in helping to ensure that our kids wake up on Christmas morning to both the must-have toy and their belief in the magic of Christmas still intact and as they deal with shopaholics desperate for a bargain in the pre-Christmas sales. What shop workers do not deserve in return is the abuse, violence and threatening behaviour that escalates during the festive season. We all remember the chaos that was Black Friday last year, shop workers assaulted, threatened, abused in the mad consumer dash for a bargain. Black Friday exposed the growing scale of a problem that us does been highlighting now for more than a decade. Every single day in the UK more than 300 shop workers are assaulted at work and in Scotland last year 25,000 shop workers were assaulted simply for doing their job. Respect for shop workers week is a welcome opportunity to urge shoppers to keep their cool, to encourage employers to take action to improve workplace security and to spread the message that abuse of any nature towards retail staff is simply not acceptable and the message to workers who serve in our shops is equally important too. Abuse is not part and parcel of your job. Nowhere will you find a job description that requests experience and acceptant abusive behaviour is desirable, but abuse and threats are a daily reality for thousands of our shop workers right across Scotland. Shop workers like my constituent Val, who called into the shop where she worked with her daughter to do a bit shopping and noticed an individual who was banned from the shop. The individual was banned because he had been caught shoplifting on several occasions. Val alerted her manager who requested that because Val knew the individual it should be her that asked him to leave. Out of loyalty to the company, Val did this even though she was not working at the time. She was rewarded for her loyalty by being punched in the face. The assault was reported to the police, but despite Val being able to name her assailant and the assault being captured on CCTV, no one was ever prosecuted. Shop workers like Muir, who works in a busy convenience store in Glasgow, who worries constantly that he could lose his job if he sells alcohol to someone who cannot provide proof of age or who is already intoxicated, who says that customers regularly become abusive and make threats when they refuse to sell or ask for ID. The shop worker in Livingston physically assaulted three times in the last 12 months, punched twice and most recently cut with a knife but does not believe that there is any point in complaining because this type of violence is just part of the course of a job and retail. Or the shop worker who does not want to be named for fear of reprisals, who says that he is verbally assaulted every week and threatened with violence at least once a month. Recently, he was apprehended by a shoplifter who warned that she would spray him with the aerosol can she was holding and then set him on fire. These are just four examples from the front line and there are many more. In fact, us does the most recent survey on violence at work in Scotland found that a staggering one in every two shop workers have been verbally abused in the last 12 months with 8 per cent experience in abuse every single week. More than one in four shop workers in Scotland have been threatened in the past 12 months and 9 per cent have been victims of physical violence. Despite that, two thirds of shop workers in Scotland do not report these incidents and when we reflect on the outcome of my constituent Val's case is this even a surprise. The latest analysis by the health and safety executive of the crime survey for England and Wales found that there were 649,000 reported incidents of violence at work. They found that violence at work is on the rise at a time when overall levels of violent crime are down. I would like to be able to refer to the Scottish figures so that it would appear that these are no longer collected by the Scottish Government and I would suggest that the minister review this decision to stop collecting and recording work-related crimes as a matter of urgency so that we can get a true picture of the scale of the problem here in Scotland. Us does freedom from fear campaign is doing a great job in raising awareness but the only way I believe that we can tackle this on-going issue is through tougher laws, laws that punish those guilty of committing acts of assault on people merely doing their jobs. In 2010, my Labour colleague Hugh Henry proposed a bill to give the rights and protections to retail staff that most of us take for granted at work. It is only right that when shop workers are on the firing line when it comes to protecting underage customers from preventing underage customers from buying alcohol and tobacco, that we put in place the measures to protect them when the consequences of doing their job take a violent turn. Scotland's shop workers deserve better, much better. Every worker has the right to be treated with respect and dignity by the public and protected from fear and danger by their employer. Unlike many debates in this place, that is not about power. We have already got the power to act to protect shop workers in Scotland and I hope therefore that the Scottish Government will think again and look afresh at taking action to protect shop workers and to protect all workers who serve the public. Workers who right now are exposed to daily abuse, which is simply unacceptable. Scottish Labour will pledge in our election manifesto for next year's honoured elections to do that. I hope that in the new spirit of cross-party consensus on workers' rights, which was demonstrated this week in the debate in the trade union bill, the SNP will agree to match our pledge. No one in Scotland should work in fear of abuse, violence and intimidation, and we should be sending a clear signal from the Scottish Parliament that we will not tolerate physical or verbal violence against working people in our country. Shop workers deserve more than warm words and sympathy, they deserve action and real support. With around 30 shop workers assaulted every single day in Scotland, that means 1,200 will be assaulted before Christmas Day. John Hannock, general secretary of the Scottish Government, is right to say that enough is enough. I hope that the Scottish Government will listen and act and provide shop workers with the support that they need and deserve. I look forward to hearing what the minister has to say about this matter, because everybody deserves to feel safe at work. It is time to send out a very clear message that abusing or assaulting workers who are serving the public is totally unacceptable, and it is time to act to make freedom from fear a reality for all workers in Scotland. In conclusion, I commend once more us-does-fantastic freedom from fear campaign. Christmas shopping can be stressful, but please spare a thought for shop workers. Please keep your cool this Christmas. Very tight for time today. I now call on Hugh Henry to be followed by Roderick Campbell. Thank you, Presiding Officer, and I echo what Kara Hilton has just said about the need to respect and protect shop workers. She's right. We do take what they do for granted, and it's a shame that there's actually only one SNP back-venture here to participate in this debate, because it is an important debate for the hundreds and thousands of shop workers across the country who face intimidation, violence and abuse on a regular basis. The fact that 2,500 shop workers are assaulted in Scotland each year is frankly completely and utterly unacceptable. In many respects, this is an easy debate for us. It's an easy debate for anybody to come in and participate in in this chamber. Who in their right mind could be opposed to saying that shop workers deserve respect, and indeed so do bus drivers, train drivers, postal workers and others who serve the public. They all deserve respect, and they all deserve our support. In a sense, they are looking for a bit more from us than just the warm words that Kara Hilton mentioned, because it is dead easy to come in here and say that they have our support, what a fantastic campaign to freedom from fear that Usdaw runs is. The right is a fantastic campaign, and Usdaw is a campaign in union. John Hannock has been right to put his lead into this campaign, but so what that we say is a great campaign, because that doesn't make a difference to Val in Dumfermline who was assaulted. It doesn't make a difference to Ann Wills, an Usdaw representative in Johnson in my constituency in her members when they are faced with violence and when they are faced with abuse, and they are looking for a bit more from us than just the warm and weasel words that politicians can often give. You have our full support. That is absolutely disgraceful. We think that something should be done about it. People should be nice to shop workers and others yet. What are you going to do at you who have the power to legislate? You who have the power to actually make a difference all well. It is just a wee bit too difficult. It is not as easy as you think, and we would love to, but we just cannot do anything at this moment. Frankly, it is just utter garbage. In this Parliament in 2005, we decided that medical staff did deserve additional legal protection, for good reason. Assaults on hospital doctors and nurses were, frankly, beyond the pale. In fact, that is not quite true, because we gave the support to police officers, to fire officers and other emergency service staff. In 2008, the SNP Government, who supported that legislation, decided that, in fact, there were other workers who were serving the public who also deserved that additional legal support. Quite rightly, they extended it to doctors, nurses and others. I commend them for that. Why, then, will they not extend that same extra protection to those workers that they ask to challenge on the basis of age when they ask those workers to challenge people who are buying alcohol on our behalf to say, no, you are not getting alcohol and to put themselves on the line for the assaults and abuse that has been mentioned? Why will they not give that additional extra support as well? Today should be an opportunity for us to say that we give you our full support to us doctors, to shop workers and to other public sector workers, but we are prepared to give you more than warm and weasel words. We are actually going to do something to give that protection a reality. Many thanks. I now call on Roderick Hamill to be followed by Margaret McCullough. Thank you, Presiding Officer. I welcome the opportunity to speak in this debate, and I congratulate Cara Hamill Hilton on bringing this to the chamber. Violence against shop workers, as indeed are threats and abuse are unacceptable in any circumstances. We all use shops, many of us at odd times of the day and night, and indeed by virtue of the modern approaches to retail, on many occasions, workers are often fewer in number when we do shop. Those workers need reassurance that they can carry out their work free from intimidation. It really is unacceptable, as Asda suggests, that 30 workers a day are abused or assaulted simply for doing their job. I recognise the importance of Asda's freedom from fear campaign in raising public awareness. Many of us may have forgotten Black Friday last year, but in case you need reminding, that was the shopping day when retailers sought to bruise pre-Christmas spending by discounting for the day, and it really brought out the worst in some people. I have read with horror the story of a shop worker working for a large retailer in Richmond in leafy middle-class Richmond. The shop worker described that experience. I would say that most of the people were 35 to 55 years old. That really surprised us. We were expecting youngsters, the 21 to 30-year-olds, but the ones we saw were very affluent. They were driving BMWs and Mercedes—I would like to make some progress—and carrying designer handbags. In fact, the affluent people seemed to be the worse ones. The worst thing I saw during my shift concerned one young lad who worked for us who had learning disabilities. He liked talking to customers, but on this occasion a customer slapped him on the forehead. They just lent over and slapped him, telling him he was stupid and should have been at home. That was perhaps an extreme case, but reports generally refer to scuffles between shoppers. That still places an inherent risk on overworked staff who might be expected to intervene in what one journalist described last year as walking dead type scenes with hordes of shoppers frantically clawing for their best bargains. Very few, if any, employers will operate anything less than a zero-tolerance approach to violence against employees. However, that is right and proper as employers have a duty of care to their employees. However, effective prevention of risk of violence is essential, as is raising awareness. That is why it is important for the Scottish Government to work with unions on the issue. I hope that they will publicise more widely publications such as The Violence in the Workplace Guide or Unison's helpful documentation outlining what employers need to do to keep their workforce safe, particularly via the effective implementation of the Health and Safety at Work Act. Advice for employers and staff on how to identify and diffuse trigger situations and behaviours that may result in aggression, physical violence or abuse is and remains important. The unions recognise the importance of workplaces and employers use preventative measures to avoid any assaults and shop workers, and employers recognise that too. However, the Government has a duty. The Government must recognise the importance and continue to work with employers, police, prosecution and courts to ensure employee safety at all times. Let us remember, of course, that there are initiatives. The Scottish Government is investing in educational initiatives such as known knives, better lives, medics against violence and mentors in violence prevention. Through those initiatives, young people are learning that any form of abuse or violence will not be tolerated. I believe that there is an issue on recording. Uster themselves believe that 22 per cent of workers did not report incidents to their employer. It is certainly not ideal that the most recent information in the Scottish Crime and Justice Survey goes back to 2008-9. At that time, 35 per cent of staff had experienced verbal or physical abuse, and I will be interested in the minister's comments on what can be done to actually record that. In conclusion, I thank Cara Hylton once again for bringing this important debate to the chamber. Before I ask Margaret McCulloch to speak, in view of the number of members wishing to speak into today's debate, I am minded to accept a motion under rule 8.14.3 to extend the debate by up to 30 minutes. I would invite Cara Hylton to move such a motion. Thank you very much. Are members in agreement that we can do this? We are. Many thanks. I therefore extend the debate understanding order rule 8.14.3. I now call on Margaret McCulloch to be followed by Murdo Fraser. Four minutes, please. I welcome the opportunity to speak on respect for shop workers week and the wider freedom from fear campaign that Uster has been running on behalf of its members in the retail sector. I congratulate Cara Hylton for securing this debate and for giving us all and all sides of the chamber the chance to express our solidarity with Scotland shop workers and our appreciation for the work of their trade union and the importance of this campaign. I was delighted to volunteer with us earlier this week in East Kilbride, as we took the campaign to customers and workers in the shopping centre, raised awareness of violence in the workplace and explained the importance of keeping your cool during the busy and sometimes stressful Christmas shopping period. All of the country, Uster's representatives are reaching out and taking their message into shops and staff canteens. Abuse is not part of the job. Nobody working in our retail sector should expect to be abused or assaulted in the course of their duties. The vast majority of people out there know what kind of behaviour is acceptable and what is not. However, with 2,500 shop workers assaulted in Scotland last year, it is a shame that some people still need reminding. If the campaign is enough to make people think again before lashing out at someone who is simply doing their job, then it is worth it. Of course, there is more to the campaign than what the public will see during the respect for shop workers week. As there are distribute guidance to their members with advice on how to stay safe at work and they encourage their members to report abuse, there is evidence that violence in the workplace is underreported. There is also plenty of helpful information on their website, which I encourage any shop worker to visit and find out more about freedom from fear. As there also help their union reps campaign on the ground to reduce the risk of violence in the workplace, that could mean lobbying employers or local authorities to take steps to make the workforce safer. The darker nights are here. So are our town centres and high streets well-lit and safe enough at night? Do shops have a good enough relationship with the police in their community? Are staff properly trained to deal with difficult customers and do they know who to go to for help? Those are just some of the issues that the campaign gets workers thinking about locally in their own shops and in their own communities. On a national scale, we also need to think about how we in this Parliament play our part. Is there evidence that violence at work is underreported? Should we be doing more to gather evidence and understand the problem? As legislators, are we really confident that the law as it stands is strong enough to protect those workers? Could new legislation act as a strong deterrent and prevent violence against shop workers and people working in the public-based jobs? We have to reflect on how we as Parliament respond to the campaign, not just with words but with deeds. Once again, I want to commend us for all the work that they do during respect for shop workers week. I also want to commend the workers themselves who are about to experience the busiest shopping period of the entire year. The debate has given us the opportunity to reflect on the risks that shop workers are exposed to and how we can work together to mitigate those risks and make workplaces a safer place. Thank you. I now call on more to a phraser to be followed by Patricia Farringson. Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer. I can start by congratulating Cara Hilton on securing the debate. I congratulate her on an excellent contribution in moving her motion delivered with real passion. I agree that everyone has the right to work free from assault of fear or abuse. I still have worked hard to promote their freedom from fear campaign seeking to protect shop workers from threats, abuse and violence. I certainly think that that is a very worthwhile campaign and that I will do anything that I can to publicise their efforts. Hugh Henry reminded us that, back in 2005, the Scottish Government legislated to protect front-line emergency workers from threats and abuse at work. While I supported the broader aims of that bill, I voted against it. I voted against it because I believed then, as I still do, that one single piece of legislation must exist to protect all workers, regardless of occupation. A two-tier structure that only protects those in emergency services fails to grasp the whole issue. I welcome Murdo Fraser's comments about legislation being extended to cover all workers. On the basis of what he has just said, would he support legislation that gives all public-facing workers the same kind of level of protection? I am happy to reflect further on that point from Mr Henry. I think that there is something in what he says. The logic of singling out particular groups is difficult, and therefore a wide-ranging approach that covers everything to me would make more sense. I am happy to take that away and consider it further, because I think that there is some sense in it. Kara Helton mentioned the chaos that was Black Friday, which is now nearly one year on from. That debate comes at a very important time for those working within the retail sector. Many people in the chamber will be looking forward to the Christmas period to get some time off to spend with family and friends. Retail workers have to deal with long and unsociable hours, particularly at that time of year, and the last thing that they should expect are customers who are either violent or abusive. I can talk from some personal experience, because my wife used to work in retail, and they remember her telling me stories on Christmas eve of the shop workers trying to close the store doors at six o'clock so that they could get home to spend some time with their family, and customers literally hammering on the doors trying to get in to get last minute shopping, having no understanding or sympathy for the fact that the workers needed to have some time to spend with their family. I think that shoppers and the public need to have a more responsible attitude. The week of Black Friday this year is set to attract one in five British shoppers, making it more popular than the week before Christmas. Nobody wants to see a repeat of some of the scenes that we saw last year, where shop assistants played referee in fights over televisions and playstations. If we are going to avoid the scenes of chaos that we saw last year, I think that retailers have to do more to protect their employees. Huge discounts coupled with limited availability can only lead to one outcome, and retailers must deliver adequate security. Walmart and the US are employing an additional 25 employees at each of their stores, in addition to extra security personnel, perhaps UK retailers could do likewise. Retailers must also make it clear that, where assault and abuse happen on their premises, they will always seek prosecution. It is important that shop workers feel as though they have the full backing of their employer when dealing with customers, because when it comes to such actions, the customer is never right. We know that assaults and workers are not limited to shopkeepers. As we said earlier, front-line emergency staff, bus drivers are packing a tent of all to deal with abuse from members of the public, sometimes on a daily basis. I was particularly shocked to learn that assault on traffic wardens in Perth and Cynros made up the majority of the 85 reported instances of that crime in Scotland last year. In addition to legislative solutions that have been talked about already, I think that the Government should also seek to create a wide-ranging public information campaign that makes it fundamentally clear that there is a zero-tolerance approach to those who abuse shop workers and, indeed, all public-facing staff. I hope that the Scottish Government will take a lead on that. I hope that it will work with employers and work with the police, and I will close by again commending us all as powerful advocates for their member's rights, and I will congratulate them again on their campaign. I thank my other colleagues to Kara Hilton for securing the debate today at this very opportune moment and also to Usdall the Trade Union for its imaginative campaign and its clever slogan of Stay Cool at Christmas, as well as the campaign materials that are very arresting. No one should face abuse, intimidation or violence at work. The figures around shop workers that we have for the rest of the UK are quite staggering—300 shop workers assaulted every day, 55,000 incidents of verbal threats or physical abuse in the last year and violence at work going up by 1 per cent in the last year. Those figures are absolutely atrocious and no one should be expected to tolerate the kind of behaviour that leads to that kind of behaviour in the course of their employment, but at least those are figures that we have heard that are captured. I really would appeal to the minister to see what he can do to ensure that figures for Scotland from health and safety figures and from other sources can be captured so that we at least have that picture so that we can understand the scale of the problem and also what we need to do to try to bring whatever the figures are down, because we have to have a zero-tolerance approach to that kind of behaviour in my view. I am sure that the minister would want to reflect on that. However, we also need to have legislation to ensure that public-facing workers have better protection under the law, something that Usdall has long argued for. I think personally that that legislation should also, as Murdo Fraser rightly said, be accompanied by a campaign of public information. However, I think that we should go further than that, because I think that some guidance to employers about what should be expected of them is important in this context too. I have spoken to workers who have told me about situations where they have been challenged or threatened by people who have shopped in their stores. Very often, it might be people that they know because they live in that particular community. When they have spoken to their manager about those incidents, they have been told, well, you have not got anyone to back it up, it was not seen, or on another occasion, well, we need the custom, it could not have been that bad, just go and have a cup of tea and then get on with your job. That kind of attitude is not acceptable where it exists, and we have to therefore address the attitude that employers take to that kind of behaviour. Obviously, there are those shopkeepers and organisations that are actually very good and very thorough and do operate a no-tolerance attitude towards attacks of whatever kind on their workers. However, it seems to me that with the changes that we have in work-life balances that shop workers have become increasingly vulnerable over the years with 24-hour opening of supermarkets, where certainly I have noticed in supermarkets when I have happened to be there at less reasonable hours than I would probably hope to be there, that the staffing levels in those supermarkets are relatively low compared to what they would be during the day. Now, that is perhaps understandable, but it does make those shop workers who are there, and sometimes it is a relatively small number of people in a very large store, more vulnerable, because they cannot always be seen. They are not always in direct contact with another member of staff, so we have to think about those workers too. As we have heard, Black Friday has become an import from the US that I think most of us would prefer not to have. I was very pleased to read today that ASDA has decided not to participate in Black Friday this year, which, as part of the Walmart group, who is very much responsible for having brought it here in the first place, is perhaps quite ironic, but certainly to be welcomed. The scenes that we saw last year and the year before, to a lesser extent, are just absolutely unacceptable. Other colleagues have talked about that, so I will not labour the point, but I think that it is unacceptable. Christmas is meant to be a season of goodwill, but for shop workers it often is not. It is often a time that, quite frankly, they dread. Given that it is followed on so closely by the January sales, it means that they have a perfect storm from the Black Friday shopping phenomena through Christmas and into those sales, and we need to make sure that they have any protection that we can give them. I would close by wishing all shop workers well at Christmas and hope that they get the opportunity to enjoy at least some of the festive season with their families. My thanks to Cara Hilton for securing this debate on what is an important annual campaign. For one thing, because of the number of workers that it encompasses, after all, Tesco and Asda are the two biggest private sector employers in the country nowadays. Earlier this week, I spent some time at the Asda store in the dual, not far from here, talking with them about their apprenticeship programme. That store employs 500 colleagues, as they call them in Asda. It is a huge local employer. The truth is that, as Patricia Ferguson mentioned, whether it is supermarkets or small shops, we now demand longer hours, perhaps even 24-hour shopping, wider product ranges, always available, and the lowest of low prices. We want what we want when we want it. As a number of colleagues have talked about, that has been seen at its worst in the scenes that we saw on television from Black Friday last year. The truth is that, whether it is that or whether it is a sole shop assistant facing an aggressive attempt to buy drink underage in a small corner shop, it is always shop workers who are in the front line and they deserve our support. As Hugh Henry outlined, that support really should be given in the form of stronger protection in law. It is to our shame that, unfortunately in previous attempts, including Mr Henry's attempt, we have failed to do that. In the absence of that legal protection, it is incumbent on us to show support by raising awareness and acknowledging the respect that shop workers should have. I was therefore very pleased yesterday to join Colin Hunter, the Isdaw shop steard, in my local Tesco in Haddington on his stall promoting the freedom from fear campaign. Colin's members provide great service to the community with great patience. I can say that from much personal experience. I live perhaps a couple of hundred yards from the store and visit it much more often than is good for my debit card. Even there, in my respectable and well-behaved hometown of Haddington, staff were able to tell me stories of abuse and aggressive behaviour that they face on a day-to-day basis from some customers. That is why we should send a strong message from this debate and from this Parliament to those shop workers that they deserve both our respect but, above all, freedom from fear as they go about their business. Many thanks. I would like to congratulate Kara Hilton for bringing this debate to the chamber. This is a debate that we have held often as a member's debate over the years that I have been here. This is an important issue, and I believe that often overlooked one. Shot workers in this country are some of the hardest working people, and shot work is often low paid with long hours and high stress levels. As Kara Hilton mentioned, Christmas is just around the corner. While we will enjoy a recess period, many shot workers across the UK will be required to work. I also welcome the decision by ASDA, as is mentioned by Patricia Ferguson, to withdraw from participating in Black Friday, a situation in which many shot workers found themselves under physical, verbal and other forms of abuse in previous years. Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, Boxing Day and over the new year 2 are times that the shot workers are expected to be there delivering services, and we much under-appreciate the work that they do. I hope that we can keep in mind the stress that shot workers are under during this busy period. I also like to congratulate ASDA on respect for shot workers week. The campaign has been excellent in raising awareness of workers' rights, encouraging reporting of assault and supporting co-workers. Those things are vital in creating a safe, fair and reasonable workplace. If we want to encourage people into work, it is vital that we show people that work is worth doing, is respected and is safe. The current rates of abuse, both physical and verbal, towards shot workers is shocking. I saw first hand a couple of years ago in a retail outlet that I visited as part of the challenge 25 campaign. I saw the verbal abuse that was meted out to a shot worker who decided to challenge a shopper regarding their age. Clearly, if the Scottish Government expects to put forward legislation, then those workers who are carrying out the wishes of the Scottish Government should be afforded the full protection and carrying out their job. That is the full protection of the law and we should ensure that that message gets out quite clear. The issue applies to workers across the board. If we are to be serious about supporting workers, including shop workers, about respect at work, then we must continue to fight for and provide workers' rights. We must work together in this Parliament to ensure that all workers receive respect and dignity in work. That respect and dignity is a right, not a privilege. We see at the present moment the opportunity for this debate to take place when we see the Conservative Government down south deciding to slash benefits and impoverish working families. Many of those working families rely on the retail sector for their employment and also because of the announcement regarding the trade union bill. The trade union bill will strip workers of their rights to organise, to protest and to bargain collectively. The right to organise and collective action has been a long, strong tradition in Scotland and in the UK. The trade union bill's attempt to undermine that tradition is an insult to working people, stripping unions of their rights and of their ability to fairly, accurately and freely represent workers as an insult to the hard-working people of the UK. If we are to urge society to show respect towards workers, then this Government must lead by example. Respect for workers is vital to reduce abuse and provide a safe working environment for people across Scotland and the UK. I commend us for their excellent campaign and wish them the best of success in future work. I must emphasise again that respect for workers begins by facilitating the rights all workers deserve. Providing a proper living wage without slashing benefits, providing a strong and robust trade union rights and encouraging workers to stand up for their rights, whether that be against employers or consumers, is the only way to properly protect workers' rights, safety and dignity. I look forward to the action being taken by the Scottish Government to send out a strong message that will not tolerate abuse of physical violence in the workplace and make every effort to stamp out such actions in the future and so every worker deserves dignity and respect in their workplace. I thank the other speakers in the debate. I congratulate Cara Hylton on bringing the motion forward for debate and on making an excellent contribution, which has set the tone for the debate that we have had. It has been a useful debate not only to highlight the issues that are involved with shop workers who, unfortunately, face abuse and intimidation, but there have been some very practical suggestions that I will draw on throughout my contribution, which I hope the minister will take up in his summing up. It is right that the focus on this issue this time of year is Cara Hylton's children, reminded that it is 42 sleeps to Christmas. As we embark on the run-in to Christmas, people rush to the shops and they often forget what is going on at the other side of the counter. That is what the ASDA survey shows you. It is quite shocking when you look at the statistics and you see that nearly a third of people have been threatened and up to a half have been abused. That seems almost unimaginable that people would have to put up with that sort of behaviour in their workplace. That is what is going on on the other side of the counter as people go about their Christmas shopping duties. It is underlined by the Black Friday experience that other people have spoken to the stewards in my local area, rather than Tesco. They endured quite an awful time last year in Black Friday, as customers fought over goods and abused the staff and not been able to get a particular kind of abuse stock. It is totally unacceptable. One of the worrying things was to be congratulated on running the campaign on a regular basis. It is a real matter of concern that assaults are on the increase. That leads to the question that a lot of people have drawn on in the debate about what we are going to do about it and what action can we take. I think that the collection of statistics is something that the minister can draw on. If we want to understand the extent and do something about the extent of the problem in Scotland, it is important that we have the accurate statistics. I think that there is a responsibility on retailers. It is welcome that they have listened to police advice and there will be more retail security on Black Friday, but that should not apply to just one day of the year. That should apply throughout the year so that workers are properly protected. I support Murdo Fraser's suggestion of a public information campaign. I think that if the Government really got behind this, it would not only raise awareness of the issue but raise awareness of the fact that abuse and intimidation of short workers is totally unacceptable. Finally, there is an onus on the Government to look at legislation in this area. It is all very well having these debates and people making fine speeches, but we come to this Parliament to make a difference. There is an opportunity to make life and work a bit safer for many of our constituents here. In summing up, I congratulate Kara Hilton on bringing the debate forward. I think that there have been many fine speeches and sentiments, but I hope that he is summing up that the Government Minister is able to give some assurances as to how the Government will take some of the suggestions forward that have been made in the debate. I thank Kara Hilton for bringing the debate to the chamber. She made an excellent speech. It is on a matter of profound importance to all of us who have constituents who are affected by the working in this sector that we often take for granted. A number of members have reflected on that, not least Kara Hilton. A number of members have also commented on the fact that most of the workers in the sector are low paid, working long hours, difficult hours and 24 hours in terms of some of the points that Ian Gray has made as well in terms of local shops in East Lothian. We all have to reflect on that as a society but also in this Parliament. The Scottish Government believes that we all have a right to live our lives free from crime and the fear of crime. I welcome us to our contribution in campaigns such as Freedom from Fear. We would encourage all shoppers to show respect for shop workers this week and, indeed, beyond, as James Kelly said, all year round, rather than just this time of year. There is no doubt that every violent incident is a traumatic event for the victim and can often result in injury, on-going problems and psychological harms that can be caused to people's confidence in going to work and fear of going to work. As Osdaw's survey shows, the front line of retail can be particularly tough for many shop workers, especially in incidents such as last year's Black Friday that Ian Gray and others have referred to. Without the retail sector workers serving the needs of members of the public, our communities would not be able to function effectively. That is why it is important that when such workers are attacked in the course of their work, it is critical that our justice system responds effectively to send a strong signal that we do not tolerate such behaviours. I am concerned to hear about some of the examples that Cara Hilton has referred to. I am not going to brush over them. I am happy to look at what went wrong there in relation to those, but our police, prosecutors and courts have extensive powers to deal with those who commit such offences against shop workers and other public-facing workers. For example, the common law of assault allows for maximum penalties all the way up to life imprisonment for the most serious offences. As I said, I acknowledge the cases that were raised, but prosecutors in Scotland are clear that they always seek to ensure that justice is served when offences are committed against workers. They take a robust approach to prosecuting and will always mark cases for prosecution in such a way that appropriate sentences can be handed out by courts on conviction. Courts will look at the circumstances of an offence and sentences based on, among other matters, the context in which the offence was committed. I reiterate that our justice system is sending out a strong message to those who fail to respect public-facing workers and the valuable service that they provide that unacceptable behaviour will not be tolerated. As I said, let us not forget that in many cases retail workers may not be well paid and indeed may be doing a very tiring job for only modest rewards. Along with ensuring an effective response from the justice system, we have also been focusing on tackling the underlying causes of such violence, and we are seeking some major reductions as a result. Time is against me, but I suggest that Scotland in general is becoming a safer place to live, but I note clearly that it is one sector of the economy and one group of people who still feel that they are vulnerable to assault. I am aware that statistics that I could have quoted will be of little comfort to any individual who experiences violence, whether they are shot workers or not, in relation to the statistics point that a number of members have raised—Rodd Campbell, Patricia Ferguson, Kara Hilton, James Kelly and others. The content of the Scottish Crime and Justice Survey is regularly reviewed to ensure that the survey continues to provide high-quality evidence on a wide range of policy areas in a cost-effective manner. Such questionnaire reviews also ensure that the survey is kept to a manageable length so that we do not place an excessive time burden on response. Having said that, the SCGS is currently under review in advance of the 2016-17 survey, and I will certainly make sure that the points that are raised today about those particular crimes are taken on board and see if there is any scope to enhance the data in that respect. Indeed, high-profile tragedies can and do, of course, occur. As tragically demonstrated, violence can have a devastating impact and extend far beyond the victims or perpetrators involved to their families, friends and indeed can impact on the community as a whole. I do believe that we are going in the right direction in tackling violent crime, but I acknowledge the concerns that have been raised today across the chamber, and we will take that on board. We need to look to see if there are ways in which we can enhance our activity. Along with increased policing, we know that tackling the underlying causes of violence will help to reduce the number of assaults. Rodd Campbell's observation about Black Friday in Richmond shows that violence emanates from across the whole spectrum of society. It is typical that people point their finger at blame at one part of the community, but clearly when people carrying Gucci handbags or assaulting staff in shops, that affects everybody, and we have all the responsibility to look to our behaviour. That is why we continue to work in partnership with the national violence reduction unit to see that violence is preventable and is not inevitable. Their groundbreaking work helps us to identify, develop, promote and co-ordinate best practice in tackling violence and violent crime. I have heard moving and highly compelling testimony from those who have been perpetrators of such crimes as to the regret that they have, and they are putting back into the system their experience. If I have the permission of the Presiding Officer, yes, of course. Just to ask the minister whether, in those discussions that he is having with the violence reduction unit, would it be possible to consult the unions and bring the unions on board in those discussions? Clearly, us all have highlighted, by their numbers, that there is a serious issue out there that has to be addressed, and it might be useful to bring them into the debate so that they can give it a clear indication of what should be happening. I am happy to take that point on board, Presiding Officer. I think that it is important that we do engage with trade unions on these issues and that I will look to see how we can involve trade unions in discussions around this specific issue. We continue to invest—I think that Rod Campbell talked about education—and we need to highlight that we continue to invest in known eyes, better lives, which he referred to, medics against violence and mentors in violence prevention. Those are all important programmes that try to get the important messages out, particularly to young people on the dangers and consequences of getting involved in violence and to help to provide them with opportunities. It was interesting, the point, about the older age group in the case of the Richmond incident, that it was not, and others have said, it is not just young people. I am afraid that I am running short of time. I apologise to Ms Ferguson, I have quite a lot to get through. It is important, unless the Presiding Officer has any further latitude. If you wish. I will take Ms Ferguson in later. It is important that we encourage young people to talk about violence prevention and difficult subjects such as alcohol and drugs, to speak out against all forms of violence, but in this context specifically, the kind of violent behaviour that happens to public facing workers. Initiatives such as those focus on young people and learning that any form of abuse or violence would not be tolerated, but I take the point about public awareness and reaching out to other parts of society. Mentors in violence prevention is currently running in nine local authorities across Scotland, and they are further for a started engagement. We are investing significantly in this, but I am conscious of time. I want to focus in particular on the point that was related to Margaret McCulloch who spoke about employers such as Rod Campbell, Murdo Fraser and Patricia Ferguson. Just to highlight, we are investing through the Scottish Business Resilience Centre, working in partnership with them to raise awareness through producing a number of publications, including the Violence and the Workplace Guide, mentioned by Rod Campbell, but also working with an SME and Retailers Guide to Crime Prevention, which provides in-depth advice to employers and staff on how to identify and diffuse trigger situations and behaviours that may result in aggression, physical violence or abuse. I welcome decisions by, as they have reflected on what happened last year, as a number of members have mentioned, to withdraw from having their own Black Friday. That is a commercial decision, but I welcome it from the point of view of thinking about the impact on their workers. When a wide-ranging retail crime reduction presentation has been created by the SPRC and is available to all police officers across Scotland who engage with shop and retail staff, ensuring consistency of approach and messaging, the SPRC also provides excellent support through initiatives such as best bar non, safer shopping award, safer retail award and the safer area scheme, and the Scottish Government is supporting those and many other initiatives, and they are inspiring some great work and practice. Before I conclude, I do not know whether Patricia Ferguson wishes to come in, Presiding Officer, or she is happy to leave it. No one could disagree, Presiding Officer, that shop workers deserve protection, and that is what our current criminal laws helped to ensure. I welcome this opportunity to discuss Cara Hylton's motion and again thank her for bringing this important subject to the chamber. There is certainly an increased pressure on shop workers in the raptor Christmas, as has been said, with increased sales. Although tempers may be short, there is simply no excuse for any act of aggression or violence towards shop workers, many of whom, as we have all said, will be working long hours and including workers obviously doing home deliveries, which is a new phenomenon that reflects as Patricia Ferguson stated, changes in behaviours that people are delivering to our homes. I believe that our approach is broadly right and that our firm focus on increased policing and prevention is already providing results and is helping to reduce violent crime for everyone in Scotland by taking board the important points that are mentioned by members today and just stress that respect costs nothing, and that is the very least that we should do as we shop at Christmas, in sure respect to our shop workers. Thank you all for taking part in this important debate, and I now suspend this meeting of Parliament until 2.30 p.m.