I’m pro Sunday trading. Big time. Despite being brought up the son of a Methodist superintendent in the church I am not religious. I know many see Sunday as the day of rest and God’s day but no-one is forcing these people to go out and spend their Sunday’s in shops. All these Sunday trading laws do is keep one day a week where everything is treated differently and I don’t see why.
Why shouldn’t people have the option of spending their Sunday evening wandering around a supermarket or a garden centre etc.? More business opening hours will lead to more jobs. It helps many be flexible with their time. The workforce doesn’t just work 9-5 Monday – Friday any more. Many of us work strange hours to suit and having more time to shop seems ideal.
The Church of England unsurprisingly oppose it. I saw a spokesman for them saying ‘It is understandable that special arrangements will be made in various ways as the country hosts the Olympics and Paralympics… [We] would however strongly oppose any further attempts to erode the special nature of Sunday,’ earlier when asked by YouGov after they polled the nation about what they thought on the subject.
General Secretary John Hannett too wasn’t enthused saying, ‘Deregulation would have a very detrimental impact on the lives of millions of shop workers. Shop workers are entitled for their views to be heard before any decisions of this importance are made.’
Plenty of shop workers have to work Sunday’s anyway. Just with a deregulation of the Sunday trading laws more would get the opportunity and for longer. I see no downside. However what do the people polled think?
Well they are split. Pretty much down the line:
35% say the Sunday trading laws should be permanently abolished
31% say the Sunday trading laws should be temporarily suspended during the Olympic and Paralympic games
27% say the Sunday trading laws should not be suspended during the Olympic and Paralympic games
So there we have it. The public aren’t convinced either way but I’d be stunned if in ten years 24/7 supermarkets are truly 24/7 and that the Sunday trading laws will be relaxed or even repealed altogether and I’d be perfectly fine with that.
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Retail workers are typically on minimum wage. They probably need the money from working Sunday but when it comes to promotion , those who try to keep time for family and don’t want to work Sundays will inevitably be discriminated against in favour of staff who bow to management requirements.