Co-op workers fear being attacked at work as they accuse management of ignoring security risks

More than 95 per cent of Co-op staff feel that the company does not keep them safe during one-on-one shifts, a survey shows

Caitlin Morrison
Tuesday 25 September 2018 08:12 BST
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CCTV released of four men burgling Co-op and stealing safe in Oldham

Thousands of Co-op staff are calling on the convenience store chain to end so-called “one-on-one shifts” that leave workers to face knife and gun attacks, shoplifters and abusive customers on their own.

During one-on-one shifts, staff say one employee will often be working on the shop floor on their own while the other is in the back of the store, dealing with stock and deliveries.

A petition calling for an end to the shifts, which was launched by Organise, a digital campaigning platform for workers’ rights, has gathered more than 6,000 signatures.

It was presented to Co-op’s head office last month, but workers say they have not had any commitment from management to create a safer working environment in store.

More than 95 per cent of Co-op staff feel that the company does not keep them safe during one-on-one shifts, while 93 per cent have reported an increase in shoplifting and abuse from customers during one-on-one shifts, according to surveys carried out by Organise.

The surveys also found that 38 per cent of Co-op workers have had an armed robbery in their store, and one respondent said he had been “held up at gunpoint before, and also a machete”.

“I’ve had altercations with plenty of thieves and drunken people. If we’d have had an extra member of staff this would have never happened.”

One Co-op worker, who wanted to remain anonymous, told The Independent she had had her fingers broken in an altercation with a shoplifter during a one-on-one shift, and had to take 11 weeks off due to her injuries.

“Then the first week back, the same guy came in and started stealing cigarettes from behind the till,” she said. The shop worker feels Co-op staff are seen as an easy target by would-be thieves, because there are not enough people working in store to deal properly with security issues.

“They know you haven’t got the power, they just run in and out. And the Co-op clearly aren’t bothered,” she added.

The anonymous worker said speaking to her store manager has achieved nothing.

“He’s a really good manager but his hands are tied. The Co-op won’t let him hire anyone else. Someone has been held up at knifepoint – when that happened they gave us a guard, but it was only for a week. And it was after the fact.”

Co-op said it has put in place a number of security measures, including CCTV monitoring and panic alarms, while headsets are being rolled out to staff so they can instantly communicate with their colleagues.

However, the source said: “The headsets are absolutely useless. They don’t get signal in the warehouse, and if I’m stood there face-to-face with someone, I’m not going to press the button and say, ‘Someone’s robbing me, please come and help’.”

Meanwhile, there are additional problems with one-on-one shifts, aside from security risks, as staff are not getting the breaks to which they are legally entitled.

“The morale of staff is dreadful, because you have got that much pressure to get everything done. Head office just don’t see this, they don’t see what it’s doing,” the worker said.

A spokesperson for Co-op said: “The safety of our colleagues is our main priority. Their welfare and providing good customer service are at the heart of any decisions we make about staffing levels in our stores.

“There is no evidence to show that stores staffed with fewer colleagues are more at risk but we have a range of security measures in place to protect our workers, including panic alarms and CCTV monitoring.”

However, Usman Mohammed, lead campaigner at Organise said Co-op leadership is listening to workers “but then ignoring them essentially”.

He said: “They are not really engaging with their staff in a solution focused way.

“Co-op staff don’t want to work in fear anymore, that’s why this week, they collected their shocking experiences and presented them to Co-op bosses. But Co-op bosses are choosing to ignore thousands of staff across the country.

“The Co-op urgently need to stop offering their staff false solutions like headsets and cameras, and address the fact that until they end one-on-one shifts, they’re putting thousands of staff at risk everyday.”

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