'This not simply a matter of religious conviction, it's about staff welfare' - TUV man calls for own council to halt Belfast Sunday trading bid
Opposition to extended Sunday trading hours is “not simply a matter of religious conviction”, but about protecting the welfare of workers.
That’s according to the TUV’s Ron McDowell, who has called for the very council he sits on to halt moves that would allow large chain stores across Belfast to open on Sunday mornings over spring and summer.
This week, city officials launched a consultation on having Northern Ireland’s capital designated as a holiday resort, which would allow extended Sunday opening hours – the second year in a row the idea has surfaced.
Both a major industry body and a union representing shop staff have come out against the proposal, however; Glyn Roberts from Retail NI argued extended trading is an idea that “belongs in the past” and betrays a “poverty of ambition” where new ideas are needed, while the union Usdaw maintained it would “take a heavy toll on staff” who will lose out on time they could spend relaxing with their loved ones or at church.
Mr McDowell has now endorsed those points, stating the union “stands up for workers and highlights the very real impact that longer Sunday opening hours would have on retail staff, their families and their communities”.
“This is not simply a matter of religious conviction,” he said. “While many of us, myself included, do believe Sunday should be kept special because it is a day for worship, it is also clear that those working in the retail sector and beyond value the family time and stability that current arrangements provide regardless of whether they go to church or not.
“It is also telling that Mr Roberts has described this proposal as ‘an idea that belongs to the past and not to a modern progressive 21st century city’.”
This is the fourth time extended Sunday shopping has been raised in the last 10 years. Said Mr McDowell: “Each time, those working in the sector have made their opposition clear.”
Current proposals would allow large stores in Belfast, which it’s said are likely to mostly mean branches of multinational chains, to open first thing in the morning on 18 Sundays between the beginning of March and the end of September, except Easter Sunday. This year, that would see shops run extended hours on 60% of available Sundays.