Representatives from the Shop, Distributive and Allied Employees Association (SDA) and the Australian Retailers Association (ARA) met in Melbourne on Wednesday to reaffirm their shared commitment to protecting retail workers against assaults and harassment in the workplace.
Following an industry roundtable that convened in October 2023, the SDA and ARA agreed to establish the Retail Employee Safety Council (RESC) which gathered for the first time this week.
The RESC will be a tri-partite alliance between unions, employers and government that aims to address the rise of abuse, assaults and harassment in the retail sector. Given a reported increase in the frequency and severity of incidents impacting front-line workers, members of the RESC agreed to focus their initial efforts on customer aggression, assaults against retail workers and sexual harassment.
In its first meeting, the council reviewed the findings of an Australian Research Organisation for Women’s Safety (ANROWS) Report that highlighted the prevalence of sexual harassment in retail workplaces and reviewed key insights from the recent Retail Crime Symposium, held in Melbourne in July 2024.
The RESC agreed that the council’s focus should be on sharing information and insights about best practice strategies across workplace design, systems of work, trauma-informed support measures and standardised approaches to reporting. Members of the RESC also agreed to consider the role of public awareness campaigns, preventative measures, effective training and legislation to ensure safe and secure retail environments.
SDA national secretary Gerard Dwyer said the RESC is a welcome step towards safer workplaces for retail workers.
“Customer abuse and aggression is an epidemic that the industry has been wrestling with for years,” Dwyer said. “Having the SDA and the retailers in the room will allow for a constructive discussion.
“Our latest survey shows that 87% of workers experience abuse from customers, and that number has not materially changed since 2016. There must be change and the RESC provides a solid platform for the future.”
ARA CEO Paul Zahra said that abuse, assaults and sexual harassment of retail workers is unacceptable and that retailers – large and small – are committed to working collaboratively to ensure that retail workplaces are as safe as possible.
“While the vast majority of customers do the right thing, we know that abusive behaviour, customer aggression and sexual harassment have all intensified in recent years,” Zahra said. “But we also know that these challenges can’t be solved in isolation by employers, so we look forward to working with the SDA to address these issues.”
Both Zahra and Dwyer thanked Marie Boland for agreeing to serve as independent chair of the RESC, noting Boland’s commitment to ensuring safe workplaces for Australian workers.
“The Council is an important initiative modelling a collaborative approach between worker and employer representatives to protect the health and safety of retail workers,” Boland said. “I am looking forward to taking on the role of independent chair to help facilitate discussions and support the Council to achieve its objectives.”
The RESC will meet at least four times a year, with three representatives each from the SDA and ARA, and government stakeholders to be invited to future meetings.