Bid to stop week-end shop work

Press, 23 September 1980, Page 2

Bid to stop week-end shop work

PA Shop workers will seek a clause in their award to prevent their working at weekends, except with union concurrence, when they go into conciliation this week. The industrial officer for i the Shop Employees’ Association (Mr R. Campbell) yesterday said it was a “major new development in the Saturday trading debate.” The Retail (Non-food) Award, covering most shop employees in New Zealand, will be under negotiation in Christchurch from today for three days this week. “Although we have a wide range of claims, and although we expect to make progress ’on a number of them, the central issue is the control of week-end trading,” Mr Campbell said. “Although the select committee which is considering the Shop Trading Hours Amendment Bill has not yet reported back to Parliament, we believe that there is sufficient danger that week-end trading will be introduced to seek to prevent any such development by award provisions.” The union had been partially successful in 1977 in preventing the increase of mid-week trading nights. It saw no reason for not achieving the same success for week-end trading, Mr Campbell said. “The claim. we have lodged would restrict the employment of staff to Mon-day-to-Friday, with a provision for variation with the

agreement of the union.” This provision would cater for existing Saturday trading areas, such as New Brighton. "Our membership . meetings over recent years, and long-standing tradition, have committed us to fight against the imposition of week-end trading,” he said. “The employers of a large number of our members in the retail (non-food) area have made submissions to the select committee seeking to have the bill withdrawn. “We appreciate that stand on their behalf but the true test of their attitude will come when the award negotiations begin. A number of those companies which oppose the bill are represented directly on the negotiating nanel.” Mr Campbell said.