Recent research carried out by shop workers Union USDAW

indicates that physical attacks and threats on Scots shop workers have reached record levels.
According to the research carried out by USDAW, on average, at least one shop assistant is attacked every hour of each working day. It also found Scotland to be worse for shopworker assaults than anywhere else in the UK. John Hannett, Usdaw's deputy general secretary, said violence and abuse of Scotland's shopworkers has reached 'epidemic proportions'. He added: 'More and more shop workers than ever before are being attacked, threatened or abused at work.' Justice minister Cathy Jamieson has given her backing to Usdaw's campaign. She said: 'Physical and verbal abuse must not be accepted as part of the job for shopworkers and the ‘Freedom from fear’ campaign will help to harden the public's attitude against this sort of unacceptable behaviour.' Eight out of every 1,000 Scottish retail workers have been victims of violence at work, according to Usdaw - compared with five per 1,000 in the UK as a whole.