Report to the People
12th March 2007
Shopworkers
Have Families Too
To
meet today's consumer demands, more and more people are working outside the
traditional 9 to 5. And for some,
those with childcare or other commitments during the day, this might suit them.
We
can't forget, though, that those who provide the services we expect to access
whenever it suits us have families too. And,
to recognise that these workers' family lives are just as important as ours, the
Scottish Parliament voted last week to pass the Christmas and New Year’s Day
Trading Bill.
The
Bill acknowledges that Christmas Day is special and prevents large stores from
trading on 25th December, guaranteeing workers time at home.
The Bill also introduces powers to prohibit trading on New Year’s Day,
should there be evidence that large stores opening on 1st January are having a
negative impact on family life.
There
isn't, of course, a huge problem with large stores in Greenock opening on New
Year's Day, but it may be more of a issue if you work in one of Glasgow's big
city centre stores.
Shopworkers'
union, USDAW, will therefore be involved in assessing the impact both on the
economy and family life of New Year’s Day trading.
And retailers now know that if there is any evidence of staff being
forced to work, explicitly or covertly, then Justice Minister, Cathy Jamieson,
will introduce an immediate ban on New Year's Day trading.
The
new laws will guarantee these shopworkers' families a present you can't buy in
the shops - a real family Christmas.
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