CTU MEDIA RELEASE
16 May 2007

Negative Impact of Easter Sunday Trading Would Be Widely Felt - CTU

“The negative impact of shop trading on Easter Sunday will not only be felt by the 200,000 strong retail workforce, but by families, sports clubs, voluntary groups, worship activities and in marae across the whole country,” CTU secretary Carol Beaumont said today.

MPs are tonight voting on the second reading of the Shop Trading Hours Act Repeal (Easter Trading) Amendment Bill.

“The current Easter Sunday trading restrictions ensure that retail workers have at least some ability to participate in the huge range of family, community and religious activities that take place around New Zealand over Easter.”

“There is growing community recognition about the need to address work-life balance issues and on International Families Day yesterday the CTU spoke about the need for all workers to have access to work-life balance solutions, not just the few.”

“Retail workers attempts to achieve a work-life balance are not being helped by attempts to remove one of the last remaining non-trading days we have. There are only three and a half days a year when shops cannot trade, and this limit is not an onerous requirement to place on businesses.”

“The CTU is calling on all MPs to consider the needs of working families tonight as they use their conscience vote at the second reading of the Shop Trading Hours Act Repeal (Easter Trading) Amendment Bill.”

ENDS