The UK’s banking industry is pressing the newly elected Labour government to extend forthcoming legal protections for retail workers to include staff in bank and building society branches. Industry leaders argue that these workers face comparable — if not greater — risks of verbal abuse, harassment, and even physical violence.
A provision currently making its way through Parliament as part of the government’s Home Office-led crime and policing bill would create a specific criminal offence for assaulting retail workers. Individuals found guilty under the proposed law could face up to six months in prison or receive an unlimited fine. The legislation, originally proposed under the Conservative government and now adopted by Labour, follows years of lobbying from major retailers and worker groups amid a sharp rise in attacks on frontline staff.
But according to UK Finance, the principal trade association for the banking and financial services sector, the current wording of the bill neglects to include workers in financial institutions, effectively excluding thousands of customer-facing employees who handle sensitive transactions and frequently deal with stressful or emotionally charged situations.
In a formal submission to MPs, UK Finance stated: “This exclusion unfairly discriminates against branch staff. Like other customer-facing workers, they deserve to feel safe at work. Assaults on bank staff should carry the same consequences.” The group revealed that more than 10,500 incidents of abuse were reported in bank branches last year alone.
The call for action comes at a time when financial institutions are increasingly on the frontline of protest activity. Banks have become frequent targets of demonstrations — both peaceful and disruptive — tied to contentious issues such as climate change, fossil fuel financing and international conflict.
Branches of Barclays, for example, were defaced in 2023 by pro-Palestinian campaigners who allege the bank is financially linked to companies arming Israel’s military. The group Palestine Action claimed responsibility for several acts of vandalism across the UK, including the splattering of red paint and broken windows, acts they say are designed to highlight what they describe as complicity in war crimes. During the bank’s AGM earlier this month, protestors interrupted proceedings by waving Palestinian flags and chanting, prompting concerns around staff and attendee safety.
Other banks have also been under siege. HSBC and Standard Chartered’s London offices have both been the focus of demonstrations by environmental groups, particularly Just Stop Oil and Extinction Rebellion, accusing them of enabling climate breakdown through the financing of fossil fuel projects. In January, activists from Just Stop Oil blocked access to HSBC’s Canary Wharf headquarters, laying on the ground and chaining themselves to entrances, impacting staff movement and safety.
UK Finance claims these protest-related incidents pose genuine risks to staff and members of the public alike. “Protests against banks who lend to defence companies are regularly large and violent,” the organisation said. “Innocent branch staff or members of the public are being put at real risk of harm.”
According to data from the British Retail Consortium, shopworker abuse reached a record high in 2023, with over 870 incidents of abuse, threats, or violence reported each day. This spurred a cross-party effort to introduce the new standalone offence for retail workers following demands from retail chains and organisations such as USDAW, the union representing shopworkers.
Though existing laws already make common assault a criminal offence, campaigners say the general public still views aggression against customer-facing staff as less serious than violence in other settings. Proponents of the new law argue that creating a separate offence sends a clear message that such behaviour will not be tolerated. The Confederation of British Industry (CBI) and the Institute of Directors (IoD) have previously voiced support for enhanced staff protections in the retail and services sector.
A Home Office spokesperson commented: “Nobody should be attacked whilst at work and this government is taking robust action to tackle shop theft and protect retail workers.”
Labour’s crime and policing bill revives legislation that was dropped during the dissolution of the last Parliament ahead of the general election. However, without amendments, bank and building society staff will not benefit from the new legal protections granted to retail workers.
As the bill returns to the House of Commons, UK Finance is pushing for urgent revisions, warning that a failure to include financial sector employees sends a dangerous message about who the law is willing to protect. With attacks on public-facing staff showing no signs of abating, many within the sector believe it is time to ensure that branch employees — often dealing with sensitive topics such as fraud, debt, and home repossession — are recognised as frontline workers in need of equal legal safeguards.
Further reading:
– British Retail Consortium – Retail Crime Survey 2024
– Just Stop Oil protest actions – The Guardian
– Palestine Action’s campaign against UK arms trade – BBC News
– UK Finance’s latest branch staff abuse figures – UK Finance newsroom
