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INTRODUCTION
Sunday trading has long been the focus of contentious debate. Current concerns that arise from the enforcement problems of the 1950 Shops Act have not been aided by the legal confusion that exists. It is recognized widely that this Act is in disrepute and that some form of revision is required, especially in view of the illegal opening on Sundays in England and Wales of many retail outlets, both large and small. The contrast is often drawn with Scotland where Sunday trading is not regulated, with some exceptions such as alcohol sales. With this breakdown of the trading law in England and Wales, many companies have opened stores on a Sunday. In particular DIY superstores have been opening on Sundays for some years and food superstores followed in the run-up to Christmas 1991.
What has emerged since the mid and late 1980s is a situation where for many individuals Sunday is already a day of work in retailing. Legally in Scotland, and illegally in England and Wales, stores have opened. By this process, many thousands of workers have been employed on Sunday. These workers have been the subject of considerable speculation and the occasional court case. On the one hand is the view that they are helpless innocents being exploited by being forced to work on a day of rest and fearful for their jobs if they refuse. A contrary view holds that Sunday working is a voluntary opportunity for people to earn money they would otherwise forego and to exercise their rights to choose when and where they work. The status of retail employment is such that most protagonists are agreed that, whatever solution is eventually agreed, some legal safeguards under employment legislation are required.
This discussion about employment on Sunday occurs in something of a vacuum however. With the exception of research carried out at Durham Business School[1,2], and then only in a partial sense, there have been few, if any attempts to find out in a structured, rigorous fashion the views of these Sunday workers and the make-up of this labour force. This issue has been highlighted by the expansion of Sunday working since late 1991 in particular. As many more people are now working on a Sunday, it is important...