MPs back USDAW on Sunday shop hours

More than 100 MPs have now backed the campaign by the USDAW shopworkers' union against an extension to Sunday trading.

By mid-December 134 MPs from across the political divide had signed an Early Day Motion (EDM) on the issue, sponsored by Labour MP Brian Jenkins.

The EDM asks MPs to consider the adverse impact longer hours will have on Britain's 2.7 million retail workers, the extra stresses that will fall on organisations like the police and health service if shops open longer, and the threat to community stores.

USDAW general secretary John Hannett said: "One of the biggest issues for USDAW is the threat of extended Sunday opening which some employers seem to be calling for." And he said that while much had been made of "consumer demand" for more shopping hours, an independent NOP survey by the union revealed that the majority of shoppers - 64% - did not want any extension of the existing six hours.

Hannett said the EDM replaced "emotion with hard facts." He pointed out: "Shoppers already have 150 hours a week to spend their money. There are on average 4,000 shopworkers in every constituency and MPs across the political spectrum will recognise the massively detrimental impact any extension of Sunday hours will have on literally thousands of their constituents."