Usdaw's annual conference set to be dominated by launch of Save Our Sundays campaign

Save Our Sundays Campaign

Retail union Usdaw is launching a national Save Our Sundays campaign to stop large stores opening for longer than six hours on a Sunday at its annual conference in Blackpool.

The conference kicks off at the Winter Gardens on Sunday 30 April until Wednesday 3 May and more than 800 delegates will be making clear their total opposition to any further relaxation of Sunday trading hours which they say will have a devastating impact on their family life.

“Our annual conference usually produces some robust debates but with 95% of our members opposed to any changes in Sunday shopping hours because they want to spend quality time with their families then there should be some fireworks,” says Usdaw General Secretary John Hannett. “We're particularly pleased Trade Minister Gerry Sutcliffe has agreed to join us in Blackpool on Sunday afternoon and he has promised to listen closely to the delegates to find out exactly why there is such widespread opposition from shopworkers to longer shopping hours on a Sunday.

“We're launching the national Save Our Sundays campaign in Blackpool because we want to reach as many of Britain's shoppers as we can after discovering in an independent survey that 64% of them don't want longer hours. So shoppers don't want longer hours, the major retailers are divided on the issue and shopworkers want to spend some quality time with their families on a Sunday so we'll be making sure that MPs get that message loud and clear.”

Notes to Editors:

• For details of the debates and guest speakers from the Government and any other queries please contact Usdaw media officer Paul Clarke.
• 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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