Leading charity calls on Labour to tackle retail's 'big issues'

A leading retail charity has called on newly-elected Labour government to take tackle '"big issues" concerning retail staff and their employers like business rates and rising abuse and violence against retail staff.

Following Labour’s landslide victory in the general election, Chris Brook-Carter at the retail industry charity the Retail Trust said, "Retail employs more people than any other industry outside of the public sector, contributed nearly 5 per cent to the country’s GDP last year, and plays a vital role within local high streets and communities across the country.

"This makes the health and happiness of the sector’s workforce fundamental both to the UK’s economic resilience and our collective sense of wellbeing.

“That’s why we’re calling on strong leadership from the new government around the big issues that are currently causing retail staff and their employers so much uncertainty and insecurity. For example, we hope that Labour’s proposals to reform business rates could start to give retailers of all shapes and sizes more confidence to plan for the future by providing some much-needed stability.

"The promised implementation of the new UK-wide law to make abuse of retail staff a standalone offence is also desperately needed to give staff more protection against the rising levels of abuse and violence which is threatening wellbeing across the retail industry and damaging its reputation as a great place to build or begin a career.

“Going beyond the retail sector, we’re also calling for any measures focused on encouraging those with mental health conditions back into the workforce to be accompanied by greater commitments from employers to really invest in and develop tailored wellbeing support for their people. This means employers better acknowledging and responding to their responsibilities for their staff’s mental health.

“Above all, our hope is that the government better recognises the fundamental link between happier and healthier people and the economic resilience and productivity of the UK as a whole.”