Re: Public Consultation – Draft Legislation Paper – Draft Shops (Regulation of Opening and Deliveries) (
Because this issue runs to the heart of our society it is necessary to look at it in a wider context, that of social and family cohesion.
A Unicef report (“An overview of child well-being in rich countries”) published in February this year placed British children at the bottom of the league of the 21 most developed nations, branding them the least well looked after, the worst behaved and the least happy.
Here in
Simple pleasures like watching a son play football, a daughter playing netball, that sense of a time shared together; “Quality time” all lost because due to competition pressures as their employer now has to open on Sunday to survive.
The second area is a much deeper one that runs through our society; a culture that puts money, performance, competition and consumerism at its heart. A society that thinks that if you sweep the streets you are a failure, yet our society needs such individuals as much as we need Doctors.
Deregulation of Sunday trading only feeds the habit of consumerism; an ethos based on owning things that says that the more things you have the more people will respect you. This attitude is corrosive and a legacy we don’t want to leave to our children.
There has to be a rethink, a reorientation of the values of our society and Jersey sitting at the crossroads has an opportunity here to take I believe a moral stance for the benefit of our
We can be different to the
9 comments:
I do not think that you are right that working on a Sunday will make family life worse. It certainly didn't when I did it, and the many carers in this island who have to work Sundays already seem to manage. In fact loads of Mums with tiny kids prefer working at the weekends so that they can stay at home with their kids in the week. Sunday trading might offer more women the chance to do that.
Thanks for your comments, however I have great reservations about the fragmentation of a rest day that has held our society in good stead. Whilst I appreciate that for some it may well fit their lifestyle, for many it will simply become another day on which to juggle that work / life balance problem, and in turn cause further disruption to the unit we still call family. A unit at the heart of society
If we have to work on Sunday then Saturday will cease to be a social evening. If shops open on a sunday then banks will have to, to collect the cash. If banks open then why not civil service departments, eventually everyone will work Sundays. No Sundays, no social saturday nights, it damages not only family life but the whole community. No to Sunday trading!
I fully agree with your comments on Sunday trading. I have in the past worked in retail, and during that period was expected to work both on Saturdays and Bank Holidays.
I think it's disgusting that once again retail workers ( who often work long hours for relatively low pay) are being overlooked, and will be the only section of society asked to sacrifce this free day. It's actaully a rathet two-tier society when viewed in that respect. The lowly shop worker giving up his/her weekends to serve the needs of the better employed and besuited members of society.
I'm sure if this Sunday Trading legislation were aimed at keeping the finance industry open 7 days a week, we wouldn't even be discussing it because the idea wouldn't have even made it to the drawing board.
I have both principle and practical objections to this.
On principle, I disagree with any attempt at social engineering, even in relatively benign forms like this. It cannot be avoided that Sunday Trading laws are an attempt to force everyone to follow the preferences of a particular group. I don't think that group should have the right to decide how the rest of us live our lives.
In practice, I think fears that everyone will be "forced" to work more are unfounded. I, too, have worked in retail - and for every saturday I had to work, I got a day off in lieu. It is also not obvious that relaxing the Sunday Trading laws would lead to Sunday becoming just another work day. The people of Jersey are perfectly capable of deciding whether they want to shop on a Sunday without it being written down in Law. I would point out that the big new Checkers at Red Houses used to be open on a Sunday. It was always deathly quiet, and is now shut on Sundays.
Joe Public, retail workers are not the only section of society asked to "sacrifice" this free day. The hospital is open and functioning on Sundays, as are residential homes, children's homes, pubs, swimming pools, gyms, attractions and museums, cafes, restaurants, ice cream vans, and, some shops.
Thank-you all for this great debate. It needs to be heard - Lifting restrictions on Sunday trading is a bit like using toothpaste. Once it's out of the tube - restrictions lifted, it's impossible to put back.
If it were decided that it wasn't such a great idea in hindsight, it would be impossible to reinstate. That's why I believe that it's a "crossroads" decision.
Local Resident said...
"Joe Public, retail workers are not the only section of society asked to "sacrifice" this free day. The hospital is open and functioning on Sundays, as are residential homes, children's homes, pubs, swimming pools, gyms, attractions and museums, cafes, restaurants, ice cream vans, and, some shops."
Half of those you list are essential or necessary services. The other half are businesses which revolve around serving the public during recreational hours.
Therefore your list fails completely as an example of why the entire retail sector should be opened up on a Sunday.
Okay, so at the moment it is illegal for a large section of the retail sector to open on a Sunday. Sunday trading only means that restriction will be lifted. It doesn't mean that people will be forced to open their stores, or to work. Nor does it mean that shops will actually be able to turn a profit from being open on a Sunday.
It seems to me that loads of people already work Sundays, without the destruction of society as we know it, and I can't see that a few more working will make much difference.
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