Usdaw has called on retailers to close early on Christmas Eve and to keep stores shut until 27 December, along with an early close on New Year’s Eve and remaining closed until 2 January. The union says that if stores do open, they should only be staffed with genuine volunteers on premium pay. Usdaw also asks shoppers to respect retail staff who far too often face violence, threats and abuse at work.
Voices from the festive frontline: Some of the comments from Scottish retail workers who completed the Usdaw festive working survey, when asked what impact Boxing Day and New Year’s Day working has on them:
- You can’t properly enjoy Christmas Day or Hogmanay if you know you are having to work the next day. It feels like precious family time has been taken from you.
- I have a young child and my partner has split shifts (essential worker). I don’t want to spoil someone else's days to look after my child.
- We should all be able to have time with our families over the festive season, and a decent break. We work so much on the run up to Christmas.
- Unable to properly relax and enjoy time off with family, knowing you've got work the next day, also unable to make plans for long weekends over bank holidays.
- We are open every other day of the year; what difference would having 25th-26th and 1st of Jan off make?
- I'm actually working on New Year’s Day this year so having to miss out on our family get together. I think large shops should be closed.
Tony Doonan – Usdaw regional secretary for Scotland says: “Hogmanay and New Year is a special holiday in Scotland, but this is not reflected in the experience of many retail workers. Too many do not get a decent break over the Christmas and New Year period. After working so hard to ensure we can all get ready to celebrate, they can arrive home shattered and have to spend time on Christmas Day and Hogmanay getting ready for work the next day. This is why 98% of retail workers want shops to shut on Boxing Day and New Year’s Day.
“While Usdaw has successfully secured the closure of large stores on Christmas Day, the rest of the holiday season can see extended trading days for many. By the time retail workers get to the festivities, they will have been through a very busy run-up to Christmas.
“Where we have agreements to negotiate with employers, we have reached national agreements for shops to be staffed with genuine volunteers only, and our workplace reps are supporting members to help make sure that happens at store level. We also send our appreciation to those workers behind the shopfront who have to work on Christmas Day and New Year’s Day, not least in distribution, food and pharmaceutical manufacturing.
“Our message to customers is have a great Christmas and a happy New Year. Please appreciate all those who have to work over the festive period. If you must shop on Boxing Day and New Year’s Day, please treat the staff with respect and understand they would most likely rather have the time off.”
Notes for editors:
Usdaw (Union of Shop, Distributive and Allied Workers) is one of the fastest growing unions in the TUC and the UK's fifth biggest with around 360,000 members. Most Usdaw members work in the retail sector, but the union also has many members in transport, distribution, food manufacturing, chemical industry and other trades www.usdaw.org.uk
Usdaw’s festive working survey was conducted over the weekend of 20 and 21 December and received 1,009 responses from Usdaw members working in retail in Scotland. When asked: “Do you think large shops should be closed on Boxing Day and New Year’s Day to give staff a well-earned rest?”, 98.02% said yes and 1.98% said no.
Usdaw’s festive campaigns: www.usdaw.org.uk/campaigns/new-years-day-working-in-scotland/
For Usdaw press releases visit: www.usdaw.org.uk/news and you can follow us on Bluesky @usdawunion.bsky.social and Twitter/X @UsdawUnion