Representatives from union, retailers, government meet to look at measures to boost workplace safety
The Retail Employee Safety Council (RESC) convened for the first time this week to reaffirm their commitment to protecting retail employees against assault and harassment in the workplace.
The RESC is a part-time alliance between unions, employers, and government to address the rise of abuse, assaults, and harassment in the retail sector.
Representatives from the Shop, Distributive and Allied Employees Association (SDA) and the Australian Retailers Association (ARA) who met on Wednesday agreed to focus their initial efforts on customer aggression, assaults against retail workers and sexual harassment.
They also agreed to focus on sharing information and insights about best practice strategies across workplace design, systems of work, trauma-informed support measures, and standardised approaches to reporting.
They further agreed to consider the role of public awareness campaigns, preventive measures, effective training, and legislation to ensure safe and secure retail environments.
‘Pervasive’ sexual harassment
These initiatives come as the RESC reviewed the findings of the Australia's National Research Organisation for Women's Safety (ANROWS) revealed that sexual harassment in the retail industry is "pervasive."
They also reviewed key insights from the Retail Crime Symposium that was recently held in Melbourne in July 2024.
Paul Zahra, CEO of the ARA, said retailers are committed to ensure the safety of workplaces.
"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 in a statement.
"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."
The RESC was established following an industry roundtable in October 2023. It aims to meet four times a year, with the participation of three representatives each from the SDA and ARA, as well as government stakeholders.
