Labour, Greens and Unions support Easter trading ban

Tuesday, April 22nd, 2014

This Easter the Greens and Labour parties and a 11,00 strong union have called for businesses to respect Easter trading laws.

FIRST Union retail secretary Maxine Gay said retailers who opened on Good Friday were being “greedy”, with little regard for workers’ and families’ need.

“Retail workers have among the fewest rights in the country – shops are already allowed to trade 24 hours a day, seven days a week for the other 361 days of the year. I think they can handle a break 3 1/2 days a year.”

The FIRST Union says shop assistants will be pressured by employers to work at Easter if the Easter holidays are done away with.

Gay said the union has numerous examples of the pressure applied to shop assistants to work hours that other people expect as leisure time.

Workers could feel pressured into complying with a retailer’s desire to remain open and some union members had faced ostracism when they opted not to work.

She said the union did not oppose retailers opening for events held on public holidays that were likely to attract tourism dollars.

Caritas Aotearoa New Zealand, the Catholic social agency says there should be no change to Easter trading laws, citing the need for retail workers to spend some time with their families.

Retail Association chief executive Mark Johnston said consumers were increasingly shopping online on Good Friday and Easter Sunday when most shops were forced to shut.

The law was outdated, Johnston said, and the association would be asking for the legislation to be amended after this year’s election to keep up with the changing retail landscape.

Listen to an interview with Lisa Beech, a spokesperson for Caritas, on Sunday Morning. In this interview the idea that Sunday trading is not simply a religious issues, but a matter of a more human way of living, is discussed

Easter trading laws – the right balance or archaic and in need of a huge overhaul? Have your say on Easter trading on Stuff. The Shop Trading Hours Repeal Act specifies that most shops must close on Good Friday and Easter Sunday, and until 1pm on Anzac Day.

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