Usdaw hails ban on big stores opening on Xmas Day as a massive victory

Thousands of Usdaw members are celebrating after the Scottish Parliament backed a bill to ban big stores opening their doors on Christmas Day and New Year’s Day.

The Christmas Day and New Year's Day Bill tabled by Labour MSP Karen Whitefield was strongly backed by retail union Usdaw's Scottish members and MSPs voted to make it illegal for big stores to open on Christmas Day 2007.

But MSPs agreed an amendment to the bill that delays the implementation of the New Year's Day provision subject to evidence that staff are being forced to work.

Usdaw members will be closely monitoring staffing arrangements at any stores who open on New Year's Day in the future.

"Usdaw members are delighted they now have a legal right to enjoy Christmas dinner with their loved ones having played such a central role in lobbying their MSPs to secure a genuine victory for common sense," says Usdaw General Secretary John Hannett. "Our members told us loud and clear that they needed guaranteed time off with their families in what is already the most deregulated shopping environment in Europe.

"Usdaw's policy is that we remain totally opposed to big stores opening their doors on New Year's Day. Our view remains that there is no evidence whatsoever that stores opening on that day will have a negative impact on the Scottish economy and 95% of our members say it will ruin their traditional Hogmanay and New Year's Day celebrations.

"The Scottish Executive has given us a guarantee that if evidence is produced that retail staff are being forced to work on New Year's Day then they will introduce legislation to stop them opening which is a welcome step forward in protecting shopworkers rights in the incredibly busy festive period.

"But we are making it clear that Usdaw members will be on hand to report employers who coerce their employees to work on New Year's Day and based on that evidence we would expect legalisation to be introduced to protect hard working shop staff who are only demanding a proper work-life balance."

Notes to Editors:

• Contacts for newsdesks: Usdaw's Media Officer, Paul Clarke, can be contacted on 0161 249 2469 or e-mail paul.clarke@usdaw.org.uk.
• Usdaw (the Union of Shop, Distributive and Allied Workers) is the UK's fifth biggest trade union, with over 340,000 members. Most Usdaw members work in the retail sector, but the union also has many members in transport, distribution, food manufacturing, chemicals and other trades.
• More information and news releases are available at our online Newsroom.
• Journalists can subscribe to receive Usdaw news releases via our online e-news service.

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© 2003 (USDAW) Union of Shop, Distributive and Allied Workers
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