Shop workers fight Sunday extension

Shop workers are planning to fight moves to allow stores to stay open longer on Sundays.

Shop workers union Usdaw is launching a campaign against moves by out-of-town shopping centres to extend the current law which allows trading for six hours.

The union says workers are already losing out as premium payments for Sundays have been cut since the Sunday Trading Act came into force six years ago.

Usdaw general secretary Bill Connor says many of the Sunday pay incentives, which at the outset amounted to double time, have been reduced or withdrawn.

'Acrimonious' act

"We feel that it is a pretty lame argument to claim that people can't do all the shopping they need to do during six hours on Sunday," he said.

"You would have to ask yourself how many volunteers you would get among the factory and office workers who patronise these stores if they were expected to turn up for work on a Sunday for £4.50 an hour."

Sunday trading

Sunday Trading Act was introduced in 1994

Shops over 3,000 sq ft must still close on Easter Sunday

34% of lone mothers sometimes work on a Sunday

In 1998 nine million people worked on Sunday

Most stores in Germany shut on Sunday

Almost half of Britain's stores now open on a Sunday and many shopping centres say their busiest periods are on Sundays.

Manchester's Trafford Centre attracts 3,000 more people an hour on Sundays than on Saturdays.

But Mr Connor said the act had only been brought in after an "acrimonious" battle between the union and major retailers.

"We are strongly opposed to altering the terms of the act," he said.

The union plans to lobby MPs.