Retail staff will come under ‘intense pressure’ to work on Sundays if shopping hours are extended

Save Our Sundays – Campaigning

Retail union Usdaw has discovered many of Britain’s shopworkers are being pressurised to work on Sundays and a staggering 85% of its members believe they will come under yet more pressure to work if shopping hours are extended.

More than 4,000 Usdaw members have replied to a national survey that directly contradicts the misguided view that extending Sunday trading from the present six hour limit for large stores will have little impact on shopworkers’ lives and the time they spend with their families.

“Usdaw opposes any further extension of Sunday shopping hours because we’ve done our homework and we now know it will further erode our members’ precious time with their families,” says Usdaw general secretary John Hannett. “The clear message from our members to Ministers is that if you decide to allow shops to open longer on Sundays they will come under intense pressure to work which will have a devastating impact on their family lives

“We hear a lot of talk from supporters of longer Sunday shopping hours that stores will be staffed by students or younger people but the harsh reality is that those under the most pressure to work Sundays are experienced staff who often have caring responsibilities.

“In fact, our survey told us that 55% of our members with caring responsibilities for children or elderly relatives are already under pressure to work on Sundays compared with 45% of staff who don’t have to care for loved ones. So it is logical that if Sunday shopping hours are extended the pressure will only intensify, forcing our members into the impossible position of making a choice between their job and their families.”

Usdaw members with caring responsibilities for children or sick relatives are also fearful that longer shopping hours will make it impossible for them to work and arrange suitable care for their loved ones.

The survey found 60% of Usdaw members with children already find it difficult to arrange suitable childcare on Sundays and the picture is worse for those caring for elderly relatives with 72% reporting it was becoming virtually impossible to get decent care on Sundays.

“This is a terrifying picture of Usdaw members fighting to balance their work responsibilities with making sure their vulnerable family members are properly looked after,” says John Hannett. “The reality is that faced with a choice of being pressurised into working longer on a Sunday and making sure their loved ones are well cared for many of our members may well feel they can no longer work casing massive financial suffering for themselves and their families. Retailers could lose many of their best and most experienced staff in pursuit of extra takings on a Sunday which simply aren’t there.

“Usdaw is the voice of shopworkers who are seldom heard in this debate so we’re saying loud and clear - let common sense prevail. Let’s keep the existing six hour limit which works for retailers, shoppers and shopworkers who then have a fighting chance of balancing their work and family responsibilities so they can spend time with their families on a Sunday.”

Notes to Editors:

· Contacts for newsdesks: Paul Clarke – Usdaw media officer - can be contacted on 0161 224 2804 or at paul.clarke@usdaw.org.uk.

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