When I
was a child Sundays used to be a time you spent with your family, TV was
rubbish and it was illegal for shops to open (although some did so illegally).
So what did we do? Well I used to visit my grandparents, Sunday dinner was
mandatory and I remember listening to the radio quite a bit. I'm not from a
religious background but I felt Sundays were a special day.
In 1994
new Sunday trading laws in England and Wales basically allowed trading with
restrictions and apart from a brief lifting in 2012 for the Olympics they still
stand now. So how have things changed in the 20 odd years since? Do families
spend time together or has it just become another day?
Well the
shops are usually packed for the 6 hours they are permitted to open and TV has
undergone a revolution since then (as has home entertainment). Attractions are
more popular than ever and traffic to beauty spots is usually heavy on the 7th
day. Perhaps people do have family time on Sunday.
Does the
sacred Sunday dinner still happen? I think it's not as much but eating out is
more common with Sunday carveries doing great trade.
With all
this extra activity does this mean more people have to work on a Sunday? Simply
yes. The shops are fully staffed as are the attractions and restaurants/pubs.
Workers' rights were initially protected in law but over time thus has been
eroded to the point that for some Sunday is just a regular working day.
Enhanced pay for the day is just about gone having been phased out over the
years.
So with
Sunday being potentially 'just another day' is it time to remove all of the
restrictions? Should shops open all day? I'm not sure. The only thing I feel
strongly is preserving the ban on trading on Christmas day and Easter Sunday. Somethings should remain special.
No comments:
Post a Comment