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A Melbourne bookstore has hired professional security after a staff member working as a COVID-19 marshal was allegedly pushed down an escalator.
Key points:
- Police are investigating the alleged assault of a Dymocks staff member on Friday
- The store's owner says there were three violent incidents against staff in one day
- Meanwhile, the Australian Retailers Association says abuse and assault of retail workers has been increasing
The employee at Dymocks, in Melbourne's CBD, was briefly knocked unconscious in the incident after allegedly being pushed by a customer who refused to check in using a QR code and show his vaccine certificate.
Afterwards, the staff member was found to have suffered a mild concussion and cuts to his back from tumbling down the escalator.
Police are now investigating the alleged assault, which was caught on camera.
A man wearing a distinctive hoodie with a rainbow pattern is seen pushing the staff member before walking past him and down the escalator.
The owners of the store said it was one of three violent incidents linked to COVID-19 check-in requirements at the store on Friday.
Dymocks Melbourne owner Melissa Traderso said the store had now hired security guards at a cost of around $4,000 per week.
"We've owned this book shop for 20 years and we've never had a physical assault against any staff member, but we had three in one day on Friday," she told ABC Radio Melbourne.
In the other incidents, an elderly woman slapped a female employee, and a middle-aged businessman also shoved past a male staff member at the QR check-in.
Last week, Australian Retailers Association CEO Paul Zahra expressed concern at the rising number of incidents of abuse and aggression towards retail sector workers.
"Anything from a hot cup of coffee being thrown at staff to a shopping trolley being thrown at a staff member," he said.
The Transport Workers Union said more needed to be done to protect its workers, after a bus driver was assaulted by a passenger who refused to wear a mask.
That driver was taken to hospital with serious injuries after the assault near Kerang, in Victoria's north.
Ms Traderso wants the Victorian government to provide more support to businesses trying to enforce the new rules.
"Our staff are not trained as security or as bouncers. We're not trained in conflict resolution. We're not trained in self defence," she said.
She said the inconsistency across essential and non-essential businesses was also adding to the confusion for customers.
"There's certain customers that are just confused with the rules. You have to wear a mask in a retail environment but you don't have to wear a mask in the office now."
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