Sunday trading law suspension bid for Olympics

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Could increase employment too. I know my company tends to only have one 6 hour shift pattern on Sundays whereas on Saturdays they have 2 patterns of 8-2 and 12-6, obviously with an overlap at the busiest part of the day. I think more companies might employ Sunday staff as opposed to using existing workers. Great news for students.

Reply 21

ocelotrevs

Original post by Foghorn Leghorn

We have no such laws in scotland, get a ****ing grip of yourself and work the damn sunday!

Not only have I worked long shifts on sundays, I've done easter as well working in retail. I've also worked christmas day, new years eve and new years day (which is supposed to be bigger than christmas in scotland) but not in retail.

Original post by Agenda Suicide

I work in retail. There really ios no issue with opening ona sunday...

Original post by RollerBall

"Protect workers who don't want to work on a Sunday."

Please, get a different job then. I've worked Sundays as it was the only job I could get. I didn't bitch about it because I wanted the day off, what a joke.

Did you read the article or just the thread title?
The issue is not Sunday working itself, it's the proposed extended hours during the Olympics. Which could then lead to a permanent change to Sunday working hours.

Reply 22

Foghorn Leghorn

Original post by ocelotrevs

Yes and my point still stands, such stupid laws do not apply in scotland. I have regularly worked a 8-10 hour shift on a sunday. I don't see what's wrong with getting rid of some silly archaic law.

Reply 23

jamessssx

I think its pretty bad tbh, we do live in a christian country and the Sabbath should be obeyed

Reply 24

Ewan

Original post by jamessssx

I think its pretty bad tbh, we do live in a christian country and the Sabbath should be obeyed

Religion shouldn't be the reasoning here. Would you also prohibit abortion & same sex marriage (to be introduced before next election) for instance...

Reply 25

jamessssx

Original post by Ewan

Religion shouldn't be the reasoning here. Would you also prohibit abortion & same sex marriage (to be introduced before next election) for instance...

Yes, abortion is murder and if homosexuals want to be together fine its up to them but for them to get married in a church simple is contradictory to the tenets of Christianity

Reply 26

HarveyCanis

I've yet to see even a half-decent argument for keeping it.

Firstly, the religious argument. No, while we are a Christian country and it is the state religion (sadly) that does not mean it should be prejudiced against those that do want to shop on Sunday. Christians constantly claim how they're "victimised" today and then argue in favour of draconian, out of date laws like this.

Secondly, the "workers don't want it". Seriously? Lol. Workers are contracted a set amount of hours. Even if you think it's "nice" to have a rest day, I think it would be nice to never work a day in my life, that doesn't mean the government should abolish all employment positions.

Abolish it. Permanently. It's not the Victorian era anymore.

Reply 27

Curly_hair_girl

I would like Sunday trading law to be got rid of, let the supermarkets be truthful about one thing... that they do open 24/7. I worked in retail and had to work Sundays. It would have been better if it was considered a proper day, because despite being Sunday, it was still busy but we had to work with less staff, because it was 'Sunday: day of rest'.

Reply 28

DarkWhite

Perhaps we could suspend it indefinitely after this.

"anti-Christian agenda", oh please, we can't give favouritism to one religion by closing for the weekend, and nobody is forcing religious staff to work Sundays. Same goes for "protecting workers who don't want to work Sundays."; they'll hire more staff or give the hours to somebody else.

If anything, it would create more jobs and help the economy a great deal - think of all the supermarkets up and down the country for a start.

Reply 29

Herr

I am all for this to be permanently repealed. Sabbath, yes it is a Sabbath and UK is a country with Christian traditions but that does not mean business should come to a halt. Besides since when has shopping been considered work? The other thing, we all hate and complain about Muslims imposing their believes on the rest of us, isn't this indirectly imposing your religious views on others? What about your religion being something between you and god (if one exists) if the Sabbath is important to you, then observe it on your own time without imposing it upon others.

As for retail workers, I fail to see how this is a bad thing as it creates plenty of new employment opportunities and some of the biggest beneficiaries to it would be students and young people, let's not kid ourselves, there in reality isn't that many young ones who are active in church, so why pretend that there is? Church? I'm sure 2 hours is all it takes and you can go to work after that......why make such a fuss? In USA being a far more religious country most supermarkets open 24/7/365 and it does them just fine.

Reply 30

RollerBall

Original post by ocelotrevs

Yes I read it. A permanent change in Sunday working hours?

Oh God no. However will we cope.

Reply 31

ocelotrevs

Original post by HarveyCanis

Prejudice against those who want to shop on Sunday?
I don't really get your point, shops are open for 6 hours on a Sunday already. It takes a doesn't any sort of planning and getting out of bed to do shopping on Sunday. Hardly the most taxing thing in the world.

Reply 32

L i b

I'm all for keeping Sunday a bit special, but the idea that cities in England are still applying legal restrictions on Sunday opening strikes me as frankly bonkers. Particularly when many open, just for limited hours.

"In Scotland, Sunday trading has long been deregulated with shops deciding their own hours."

Rubbish. It's a matter for local authorities in Scotland, just not central government. In some places it is entirely deregulated - but if you want to see places in the UK where whole towns are closed down on a Sunday, then the Western Isles would be your best bet.

Reply 33

cl_steele

this could just be ignorance but whats wrong with this? people arent obliged to work on sundays if its not part of their contract are they?

Reply 34

NDGAARONDI

I feel that, by having reduced hours on a Sunday, there are fewer available hours I could work on. For those who don't care about Sundays being special, they have potentially lost out on some possible earnings. Why deny people jobs and more earnings?

Reply 35

skunky x

If you're contracted to work 40 hours, you work 40 hours. Just because the shop opens on a sunday doesn't mean they're all going to go 'NO YOU MUST WORK SUNDAY NOW, REGARDLESS OF THAT LEGALLY BINDING CONTRACT.'

And as for day of rest, who says (other than religion) that it should be a sunday? If you feel like wednesday should be your day of rest, then don't work wednesdays.

With regards to 'What can you need so desperately at 7pm on a sunday?' you have obviously never had galloping diarrhoea at 7pm on a sunday with no pharmacy or shop open. And I know there are duty pharmacies but this particular day, my duty pharmacy was 20 miles away and had closed anyway...

Reply 36

HarveyCanis

Original post by ocelotrevs

Honestly, I don't really get why people are so worried about shops closing early on Sundays. Most of the stuff that you buy in a supermarket are probably not life or death items anyway, and could probably wait until 12 hours later if they are that important.

Prejudice against those who want to shop on Sunday?
I don't really get your point, shops are open for 6 hours on a Sunday already. It takes a doesn't any sort of planning and getting out of bed to do shopping on Sunday. Hardly the most taxing thing in the world.

That's not the point. What about those that are unable to shop during those times? They're discriminated against by Christians.

Reply 37

NDGAARONDI

Original post by Aphotic Cosmos

You'll change your tune if you work in retail or in any customer facing role.

Sundays are great for us because we can relax, knowing we only have six hours to do. I would quit my job if Sundays became full trading days, I know several others who would too.

Which company and/or role may I ask? I used to work in retail with Tesco and didn't mind Sundays but, because it's seen as a half-day, I had to put up with the usual BS of other departments slacking so now and then I had to bail out produce because the kids on there are dip ****s and the usual senior team didn't have a clue. I felt this was happening because Sundays weren't treated as a proper busy day, like Saturday for example. It was overtime and got away with starting at 5am so I could do my own work since most people started later due to later opening times. I was gone by 12pm anyway.

If Sundays became full trading days you need not change your hours. You have a contract, stick by it. I managed to work Monday to Friday as my contracted hours and I was never going to work on Saturdays or Sundays on a contractual basis. Saturdays tend to be my "relaxing" day, since that's when most of the football is played, until the Premier League did the deal with the devil in 1992.

Reply 38

JonnyYoung

Interesting that businesses are being reminded not to treat shop workers unfavourably if we opt out of Sunday working - it's unfair to dismiss workers who refuse to do so. For those that do want to work on Sundays, longer trading hours would offer more jobs/income...

http://www.growingbusiness.co.uk/budget-2012-reactions-the-changes-to-sunday-trading-laws.html?ref=sr