Usdaw, the shopworkers' union, is joining the Government and employers' group the British Retail Consortium (BRC) to combat the rise in retail crime.

More than 19,250 retail workers were physically attacked last year and 28,000 were verbally abused or threatened. The statistics formed part of the BRC's annual Retail Crime survey released earlier this year.

Usdaw's General Secretary Bill Connor chaired a special fringe meeting on retail crime yesterday with Home Office Minister Bob Ainsworth and BRC chairman David Felwick.

"Retail crime is an issue that affects the whole of the community," said Mr Connor. "With more than 2.5 million people employed in the sector, this is an issue of huge importance to workers and consumers alike.

"Last year robbers used guns, knives, iron bars and sledge hammers to terrorise and injure shopworkers. This is an intolerable situation and we are all determined to take the crime out of retail and restore safety to the workplace."