Retailers and employee unions have reaffirmed their commitment to protecting retail workers from workplace assaults and harassment with the inauguration of a safety council which is now active.

The Shop, Distributive and Allied Employees Association (SDA) and the Australian Retailers Association (ARA) agreed to establish a Retail Employee Safety Council (RESC), following an industry roundtable last October.

“Customer abuse and aggression is an epidemic that the industry has been wrestling with for years,” said Gerard Dwyer, SDA national secretary.

“Our latest survey shows that 87 per cent of workers experience abuse from customers, and that number has not materially changed since 2016.”

The RESC will be an alliance among unions, employers and the government, seeking to address the rise of abuse, assaults and harassment in the retail sector.

The participating parties will each have three representatives who will attend the RESC meetings, which will be conducted at least four times a year.

“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,” said Paul Zahra, ARA CEO.

“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.”