The retail industry is under pressure with unacceptable psychosocial risks, from understaffing, to excessive workloads, poor workplace change management and increased customer abuse, placing workers at very high risk of harm.

Employers in all industries have an obligation to ensure workers are safe from psychosocial hazards.

An SDA survey of over 11,000 retail workers as part of the SDA commissioned report Under Pressure: The Hidden Cost of Retail shows the serious psychosocial hazards facing Australian retail workers.

The Retail Employee Safety Council (RESC) has reaffirmed its commitment to tackling customer abuse and violence by prioritising the focus on Workplace Protection Orders.

This report considers the productivity challenge within Australia’s retail sector, which employs over 1.2 million Australians, and has seen greater productivity increases over the past two decades than in other sectors, but not a proportionate improvement in living standards for its workforce.

The SDA welcomes today’s commitments of federal, state and territory Attorneys-General to commission urgent efforts to upgrade working with children checks.

SDA Submission to Senate Inquiry regarding Fair Work Amendment Bill 2025

We are running ads all around the country to bring attention to this issue that affects thousands of young SDA union members.