Restricting Sunday trading hours for online businesses and deliveries to align with ‘bricks and mortar’ traders would be beneficial for families, a top union representative has said.
John Barstow, an Executive Council Member of the Union of Shop, Distributive and Allied Workers (USDAW), said that, rather than dispense with Sunday trading hours so that high street shops can compete with online stores, society would actually benefit from a break from trading.
The Sunday Trading Act currently prevents large stores from opening for more than six consecutive hours between 10am and 6pm on Sundays.
‘Race to the bottom’
In a letter to The Financial Times, Barstow said allowing ‘bricks and mortar’ establishments to operate without any restrictions on hours in order to keep up with online businesses would be a “‘slash and burn’ race to the bottom”.
He wrote: “Sunday trading restrictions are a vital way of protecting families. On my side of the North Sea I have known single parents who would love to work in retail but have to look after their children at weekends. If Sunday was fully taken out of the equation it would be much easier for these people to get Monday-Friday contracts. And those working Saturday would be more likely those who were able to.
“Such a proposition makes commercial and entrepreneurial sense. More goods would be bought before Sunday closure and thus feed into productivity. Germany has the reputation of being a highly productive economy — and their respect for Sundays through retail closure could be deemed a factor in that.”
Barstow said his convictions were not based on religion, explaining “it’s about common sense and pacing oneself. People need a breather and chance to unwind with the family. I note the UK parliament does not meet on a Sunday and neither should it.”
‘Sunday is special’
Last year, the Government rebuffed calls to extend Sunday trading hours in London, after The Knightsbridge Partnership Business Improvement District claimed that an extra 2,000 jobs would be created if restrictions were lifted.
But a Government spokesman said: “There are currently no plans to change the Sunday Trading Act.”
An attempt was also made to extend trading hours on Sunday as part of the Government’s coronavirus recovery plan in 2020, but the plans were ditched after 50 Conservative MPs threatened to vote against them.
At the time, The Christian Institute’s Ciarán Kelly said that “for people from all walks of life, Sunday is special and we need to keep it that way. Relaxing Sunday trading laws will put more pressure on people to work on Sundays, harming family life and further interfering with Sunday as a day of rest”.
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