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SHOPWORKERS’ union Usdaw has backed closing large shops on New Year’s Day in its submission to a Scottish government consultation on the matter.
The union submitted its response after a survey of members found overwhelming support for closures on the holiday.
In a poll of 1,500 of its Scottish members, Usdaw found that 99 per cent agreed that stores should close on New Year’s Day and that 79 per cent were not happy to work on that day or January 2.
More than 70 per cent reported that their store was quiet on New Year’s Day.
The Christmas Day and New Year’s Day Trading (Scotland) Act 2007 gives the Scottish government the power to make a statutory order to close large shops on New Year’s Day.
Usdaw, which has called on the government to apply the relevant section of the Act for the last 14 years, welcomed the consultation.
General secretary Paddy Lillis said: “The majority of workers in other sectors in Scotland get to enjoy the day off, and retail workers should not be excluded from this.”
