Holiday swap means no Monday shopping

Press, 29 December 1979, Page 1

Holiday swap means no Monday shopping

Few, if any, Christchurch shops will open on Monday. The usual statutory holiday on January 2 will be moved forward to provide a four-day New Year break for the retail industry. Under the arrangement between the Retailers’ Federation and the Shop Assistants’ Association, Wednesday will become a normal trading day.

Hundreds of other Christchurch workers will be affected on Monday and Wednesday by the retail holiday transfer. The Christchurch Transport Board will run to a Saturday timetable on Monday and a normal week-day service on Wednesday.

The change was possible because of a special provision already in. the general shop assistants’ award and a slight ammendment to the Shop Trading Hours Act.

“We don't see it as any significant move. It is simply more convenient

for our people and customers,” said the association’s industrial officer (Mr R. E. Campbell) yesterday. Holiday swaps had been made before in certain areas, but this would be the first national re-ar-rangement of a statutory holiday in the retail industry.

A request by employers for the Drivers’ Federation to go along with a Monday close-down had been declined, said Mr Campbell.

The general drivers’ award did not have the same provision as the shop assistants’ award. He felt drivers and other workers servicing the retail industry would benefit through having little work on Monday and penal-rate payment for any work required of them on Wednesday. The Canterbury Drivers’ Union secretary "(Mr P. R. Liggett) said the four-day break was causing “a bit of chaos on our side of the world.”

Some employers were trying to make it mandatory for their drivers to take Monday off instead of Wednesday, he said. However, there was no legal provision for this and employers would be bound by the aw’ard to pay penal rates for work on Wednesday. “Unless there is some agreement between all parties concerned, it could cause trouble later,” said Mr Liggett. Drivers employed by six Christchurch firms had unanimously agreed to change their day off and the union would go along with that, he said.

A quick check with several chain stores in

Christchurch showed that all w’ould be closed on Monday. There was no late-night shopping last evening.

New Brighton shops will open today, but some of them will close at 5.30 p.m., earlier than their normal Saturday closing time.

Trading banks will also be closed on Monday and open on Wednesday. The four-day break had been welcomed by the Bank Officers’ Union, said its Canterbury committee's chairman (Mr C. M. Hall) yesterday. Air New Zealand services will remain as for a Monday, as will those of the Railways Department.