Report to the People
2nd October 2004
When the Customer Isn’t Right
On
Thursday, a Bill to protect emergency workers cleared its first parliamentary
hurdle.
This
will make it a specific offence to attack an emergency worker responding to an
emergency, or anyone helping them. If
made law, police, fire, ambulance and coastguard personnel; lifeboat crews;
medical practitioners; nurses; midwives; and prison officers would be protected.
And
who would disagree? Who wouldn’t
want severe treatment meted out the mindless thugs who attack the brave men and
women who are ready to come to our aid?
But
what about other workers? Who of us
can say, hand on heart, that we’ve never spoken sharply to a slow waitress, or
slammed the door in a salesman’s face, or lost our temper with the call centre
worker who’s just interrupted our tea?
While
less extreme, abusing people who are only doing their job – even if that job
annoys you – is just as unacceptable. Indeed,
following the publication of a major report into the issue, Finance and Public
Services Minister, Andy Kerr, branded the physical and verbal abuse of workers
“bang out of order.”
The
report, produced by the Executive in partnership with trades unions, the STUC
and representative and trade bodies, makes a range of recommendations aimed at
tackling staff abuse – recommendations which are now under detailed
consideration.
They say the customer is always right – but it’s never right to attack, threaten or intimidate someone at their work. No-one has the right to do that.
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