Arena Magazine 2006 Issue 2 March April

Save Our Sundays - Destination parliament as Usdaw lobbies MPs

Usdaw is leading the campaign in its fight to block any extension of Sunday trading hours. It is a strategy which is already paying off with other pressure groups agreeing with the union’s powerful arguments that more Sunday trading will be bad for staff, is not wanted by the consumer, and has little support in parliament.

The latest stage in Usdaw's Save Our Sundays campaign arrived in Westminster with a major parliamentary launch in early March.

Present at the event was Senior Backbencher Andrew Smith MP who introduced speakers from the Association of Convenience Stores, the Keep Sunday Special Campaign, the Relationships Foundation, and the charity Working Families.

Usdaw members Heather Morris and Debbie Davidson, who said their family lives will be devastated if the present six hour limit on big stores opening is lifted, also made the trip to the Houses of Parliament.

Many of the 218 MPs who have already signed MP Brian Jenkins' Early Day Motion opposing extending Sunday trading, turned out to give their support and to discuss how to take the parliamentary campaign forward.

"The union's survey of representatives of Britain's three million retail staff shows that more than 90 per cent of our members oppose extending Sunday trading hours," said General Secretary John Hannett. "We're delighted such a coalition of heavyweight groups are joining us.

"Collectively our organisations represent millions of people who oppose this threat to family life on Sundays, which will have a devastating impact on millions of shopworkers and their families.

"Our campaign shows there is real and serious opposition to allowing big stores to open for 24 hours on Sunday.

"Our approach is in direct contrast to those supporting extending shopping hours who have virtually no backing from Britain's shoppers and represent a number of retailers who can't even agree among themselves if they want more hours or not.

"Shopworkers have families too and any extension to Sunday trading will deny our members the sort of work/life balance most people who don't work at weekends take for granted."

A campaign that goes beyond retail

This campaign will not only affect members in retail, but other sectors as well.

Distribution in particular, but also food manufacturing, catering and home shopping could be hit hard.

Surveys have also been produced for members not in retail to tell us how longer Sunday opening would affect them.

This is on Usdaw's web site at: www.usdaw.org.uk/surveys/1131704005_26523.jsp

Usdaw is urging its members to contact the Government directly about Sunday trading.

The more responses it receives from shop staff who oppose longer Sunday trading, the better.

You can e-mail your views to sundaytrading@dti.gov.uk or write to:

Maria Bazell, Consumer and Competition Directorate, Bay 418, DTI, 1 Victoria Street, London, SW1H 0ET.

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