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 Home Campaigns Scottish Christmas Day and New Years Day Trading Resources
Shopworkers vote against Christmas Day opening
11 April 2007
Usdaw’s campaign to press the Government to legislate against large stores opening on Christmas Day has been vindicated after more than 1,000 individual shopworkers responded to the Government’s consultation, with 99.9 per cent supporting the proposed legislation.
Significantly, 98 per cent of shopworkers feared that without protection, staff could be forced to work on Christmas Day despite family or religious objections.
Usdaw's General Secretary Sir Bill Connor said: "This is a fantastic response. It is the best feedback we have ever had from our membership on a Government consultation.
"Christmas Day working looms large over all British shopworkers. If someone had said to me ten years ago that shops would be opening on December 25, I would have thought they had gone mad. But without legislation it is a real possibility in today's retail sector.
"Usdaw believes that introducing a new law is crucial to keep Christmas Day special and we welcome the Government's support. In light of the responses we have received, we believe that the law will have to be changed to prevent large stores from opening and guarantee shopworkers can spend Christmas Day with their family."
Notes to editors:
- Sir Bill Connor will be presenting the 1,000+ responses to newly appointed DTI Minister Gerry Sutcliffe when the consultation closes at 5pm, on Wednesday 2 July 2003, at 1 Victoria Street, London. There will be an opportunity for photographs and interviews.
- The Union of Shop, Distributive and Allied Workers (Usdaw) represents over 320,000 members, of which over two-thirds work in retail. Usdaw is the largest union in the British retail sector and has the biggest block of union members in the private sector with 100,000 members at Tesco.
- Usdaw's Protect Christmas Day Campaign has been a major campaign for the union for three years.
- There have been two attempts to get legislation on this issue. First Gwyneth Dunwoody MP introduced a private members bill, the Christmas Day (Trading) Bill, to the House of Commons during the 2000/01 parliamentary session. Then Lord Davies of Coity introduced the same Bill to the House of Lords in the 2001/02 session which was taken up in the Commons by Kevin Hughes MP. Both Bills fell because they ran out of time.
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