Limited Trading on Sundays

clarkey3262

shaun_from_Africa wrote: »

The only people who can opt of working on a Sunday are those whose employment with the company concerned started before the Sunday trading act was brought in in 1994, and those people employed after this time and whose contract doesn't state working on a Sunday is, or may be required.

So anyone who has been with a employer for under 17 years and whose contract mentions Sunday work can't opt out of being asked to work on this day.

Wrong, shop or those who work in betting have the right to opt out of Sunday working, even if their contact says they have to. This is regardless of when they were hired. The only exception is if they work a Sunday only

Directgov wrote:

Special rules if you are a shop worker or work in betting
If you work in a shop or in the betting industry (either at a betting shop open to the public or a bookmaker at a sports venue) you have special rights. You can opt out of having to work on Sunday even if your contract says you have to. Your employer has to tell you about this right within two months of hiring you.
These rights don't apply if you are employed to work on Sundays only.
How to opt out of Sunday work
You opt out by writing to your employer and giving them three months' written notice that you want to stop working on Sundays.
If you decide to take the opt-out your employer doesn't have to offer you extra work on other days instead. You are likely to lose the wages you used to earn by working on Sundays.
Don't be worried about how opting out of Sunday working will affect your job security. Your employer is not allowed to treat you unfavourably (for example, deny you overtime or promotion) and you can't be dismissed fairly for refusing to work on Sundays under this right. An Employment Tribunal can award compensation if your employer breaks the rules.

Directgov

shaun_from_Africa

clarkey3262,

You missed out a very important bit in the advice from Directgov.

If you are a long-standing shop or betting worker, you are already protected. If you are a shop worker, this applies if you have been working for the same employer since 25 August 1994.

And the actual wording of the Sunday trading act states exactly the same.

Meaning of “protected shop worker”

2(1)Subject to paragraph 3 below, a shop worker is to be regarded for the purposes of this Schedule as “protected” if, and only if, sub-paragraph (2) or (3) below applies to him.
(2)This sub-paragraph applies to a shop worker if—
(a)on the day before the commencement date, he was employed as a shop worker,

Edited to add that I do appear to be totally wrong, and the term "protected worker" simply means one who doesn't have to opt out.

property.advert

Storck wrote: »

It is hard enough to get enough staff and managers to work on a Sunday as it is. If the opening hours were longer it would increase the issues. Even people employed for Sunday have the option to opt out, that is by law.

There are umpteen million on the dole collecting handouts who can do this work rather than sponge off the state but if the stores can't operate viably on Sunday then they won't open. That is economics 101 - supply and demand.

My guess is that they would be open 24/7/365 including Xmas, New years day etc. In fact, Xmas should be a doddle to fill as it is a Christian event and there must be loads of non believers available to man the tills.

Freddie_Snowbits

lucylucky wrote: »

Heaven forbid that shops should be open at a time when it would suit customers!

Thankfully in my locale I and others have access to twenty four hour shopping seven days a week.

Alas, the Fork Lift Driver gets not protection, possibly works for an agency, if he does not work the Sunday, he gets no work on the Monday!

Freddie_Snowbits wrote: »

How many are 'forced' to work Sunday
Forklift driver's wife fed up with not their time at the Weekend.

Freddie_Snowbits

property.advert wrote: »

There are umpteen million on the dole collecting handouts who can do this work rather than sponge off the state.

That will solve the issues, bring back the Workhouses.

I guess they are already there, the Emporiums of Greed

And gues what, now these emporiums not have auto self service tills, so they need less Shop Workers!

property.advert

Freddie_Snowbits wrote: »

That will solve the issues, bring back the Workhouses.

I guess they are already there, the Emporiums of Greed

And gues what, now these emporiums not have auto self service tills, so they need less Shop Workers!

The public vote with their feet do they not ? They want everything under one roof and can't be bothered to visit 10 independent shops and pay higher prices, where they cannot park or have to pay for the privilege.

I hate what Tesco do to farmers, paying them tuppence for a gallon of milk but hey, do you know what, farmers have no god given right to have a living at the expense of the rest of us. Too many cows, tough, open the slaughterhouse. Eventually the market will find equilibrium.

My grandfather's job no longer exists, why should a farmer be protected ? Screw that.

Workhouse ? near enough yes. As soon as they investigate disability claimants they find millions who are taking the mickey, fraudulently. Same with dole wallhers. There are now generations of people where no-one in the family has ever worked, legitimately.

Let us all open 24/7/365 for everything, no exceptions. Loads of red tape dispensed with and the market will dictate what and when shops open.

vikki.f

normally the people who want extended trading hours for supermarkets are those who do not work in supermarkets. Employer borrow enough staff time as it is, expecting workers to be on the shop floor before their start time and work till the last minute, and what with browsing time as well. On top of that how nice it would be to have a good break at chistmas but most supermarket and retail chains ban staff from taking holiday in december.

stephen77

property.advert wrote: »

Let us all open 24/7/365 for everything, no exceptions. Loads of red tape dispensed with and the market will dictate what and when shops open.

Lots of people are happy with the market as it currently stands.
The people who make the big decisions regarding the market are unlikely to be working at 8:00pm on sunday evening.

Some other people object to having to work on there sundays.
If it is not broken why fix it?

mmmsnow

I agree. Although, the UK aren't the only ones guilty of this. I was in Bremen a while ago and everything was closed on a Sunday (all day), with the exception of the sex shops. That was an interesting day, believe me.

eezer

I wonder if the anti opening brigade ever go out for dinner on a Sunday, watch TV, fill the car up, buy a paper on a Monday morning etc etc. These all rely on Sunday workers to make your lives a touch easier/better. If you object to shops opening then surely everyone should do absolutely nothing on a Sunday.

What is the real problem with large shop opening? They seem to be full of staff anyway cleaning, stocking etc. It really is no big deal to allow them to open as normal. It's a 24 hour society now, times have changed, family life and work patterns have changed. Time to move on.

I've just changed jobs having spent the last 18 years working every other Sunday. Wasn't a problem at all. Much rather have a day off in the week and family life didn't suffer in the slightest.

But what really narks me about the whole issue is that it's a Christian infringement on my atheism.