Question: USDAW is launching the National Respect for Shopworkers' Day on September 17, what exactly does this entail?

John Hannett: It entails a number of activities across the UK. There will be over 100 stalls in different towns and shopping centres where we will be raising the profile of the "freedom from fear" campaign and more importantly the need for respect for shopworkers.

In addition to that, in London we will be with the home secretary at a Co-op store. The Co-operative Group is putting up notices in 3500 of their stores talking about unacceptable behavior. We are hosting a meeting with MPs and USDAW members. Some of our members will be talking about their experiences of violence and abuse at work and we will be launching the campaign pop song and video. We will be at 10 Downing Street where the prime minister will sign a respect for shopworkers pledge card.

Question: Why is there a need for this campaign?

John Hannett: The evidence is, and our members are telling us this, that both the verbal and physical abuse is an increasing trend. Many of our members say that are frightened to go to work. Our members demanded that we raise the profile of this issue and do something about it.

So that's why we are doing it, and there are a number of campaign aims. These include lobbying the Government for retail crime to become a key performance indicator for the police. We are negotiating model policies with employers to improve safety at work. Respect for Shopworkers Day allows us to talk directly to the shopping public and get our message across that shopworkers deserve respect.

Question: Why is this is a growing problem?

John Hannett: Some of our members work in convenience stores, with low staffing, located in areas with anti-social behaviour problems. But it would be inappropriate just to say it is only those areas. In rural and urban areas there are career criminals who are prepared to steal - sometimes to feed a drug habit. Most violence against shopworkers stems from staff trying to stop thieves.

But also there is the whole issue of respect. While the customer is king, in the sense of the service that is expected, some people feel a shopworker can be spoken to in a manner that is unacceptable.

What we are talking about here is two extremes. At one end is the normal customer complaint when people feel they haven't had a good service. And at the other is the very demeaning verbal attack ranging right up to some horrific physical attacks that our members have been on the receiving end of.

Question: Can the campaign make a significant difference on such a big issue?

John Hannett: Raising awareness is crucial, because retail crime is sometimes perceived as a victimless crime. It is often measured in economic terms but the human dimension is just as important.

What we also want to do is let the public know that retail workers do a good job. They are there to provide a good service, and we support that, but equally, respect goes both ways.

We have already seen improvements in safety standards through the introduction of model policies that we have negotiated with employers. However, the problem cannot be resolved by Usdaw and the employers alone. Whilst we will do everything we can, we need the help of the shopping public to stop abuse, and the Government to help fight crime. Crime is a major social issue, which our members at work have found themselves caught up in.

Respect for Shopworkers Day is about raising the issue publicly and talking to all stakeholders about taking action to prevent violence, threats and abuse against shopworkers.

Question: Is there a role for schools to play in raising awareness of some of the issues you are highlighting?

John Hannett: Certainly raising awareness would help. There is sometimes a lack of awareness of what happens in the retail environment. The service sector is important to the economy; particularly retail and I think there is a lack of awareness.

I think behaviour and what is acceptable behaviour should start early, we are in favour of that.

And the public need to be aware that if you want a good service then it is a two-way approach - you must respect the person that is providing the service.

Question: Can an event that lasts one day effectively tackle the problems?

John Hannett: The campaign has been running for over a year and it won't end on the 17th of September.

What we want to say is retail is sometimes perceived as a job people do until they get something better. But retail employs an awful lot of people and we will continue campaigning as long as this is a problem for our members in USDAW.

The members have taken this campaign to heart; they are supporting it in a big way. They are delighted that the union is speaking up on their behalf. And even the non-members who are joining us are congratulating the union for having the foresight to run such a campaign.

Question: Are parliament and the government sufficiently aware of the issues you are raising with them?

John Hannett: I don't think they were, there was a lack of awareness in parliament and elsewhere.

The politicians in Scotland, Wales and in Westminster are now aware. We've launched a campaign in Scotland, we've spoken at the Wales TUC and Labour Party Conferences and they are more aware now in parliament than they ever were. But prior to that there certainly was a lack of understanding of the human dimension.

Question: What action would you like to see the government take?

John Hannett: We think the Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme is too low. Although compensation doesn't substitute for some of the horrific attacks on our members we think the amount of compensation should be improved.

We certainly want the police to adopt retail crime as a key performance indicator. We want some long-term sustained funding that retailers can rely on. Especially for small businesses and convenience stores. This will help them invest in security to enable their stores to stay open and continue to serve their communities.

And really we want the employers, with their duty of care responsibilities, to adopt the best practice policies we are promoting.

There are a number of players in this who could contribute. We are not pretending that the ills of society can be solved by just one short campaign, but that's why the campaign will continue.

As long as the abuse is at the significant levels that it currently is, this campaign will continue and we will keep looking for solutions collectively.

It is working with employers, politicians and all the various players who can make some difference so we will continue as long as our members tell us it is still an issue for them.

Question: Do you believe that the police are not giving retail crime a sufficiently high priority?

John Hannett: What we have got is different examples of the police response.

Sometimes the police are very good. Sometimes it is seen as a victimless crime and is given a low priority. We have examples where the police have been slow to respond and the retailers become disillusioned with that situation.

It is just perceived, as I say, as an economic issue. We think we can demonstrate with the British Retail Consortium and the Co-op figures that this is a real problem.

We think that if you are going to stamp this out, or at least reduce it, you should certainly take the cases seriously and the police have a role to play in that.

Question: Abuse is a problem for nurses, doctors and many other professions which face the public. Why haven't you widened the campaign out to include them?

John Hannett: We have received lots of support from other unions, including Unison and CWU, and many others in the service sector. We are also widening the respect campaign to our members in call centres as well because although it is a different kind of service they provide they do receive verbal abuse.

It has also widened to Europe. A number of other European unions are carrying out surveys and have adopted the campaign. It is not just a UK issue.

But certainly here, people working in Accident and Emergency wards, Post Office workers, anybody working in the service sector can be affected. We are not precious about this - we want other unions to support us.

Maybe the September 17th event can become wider on the basis of respect for people who work in the service sector. But at the moment it is respect for shopworkers, that is our priority.