Extension of Sunday trading: employees' statutory rights
The Government has announced plans to consult on extending Sunday trading, but there are no proposals for any changes to employees' statutory rights in relation to working on Sundays. The consultation, which was announced in the Summer Budget, will propose devolving powers on Sunday trading to city mayors and local authorities, allowing them to extend Sunday trading for additional hours. Currently, small shops can open all day on Sunday but shops larger than 280 square metres can trade for no more than six hours.
Should the proposals go ahead, employers in the retail sector that choose to open their stores for longer will need to plan how to staff those extra hours. HR & Compliance Centre content on Sunday working explains which employees have the right to opt out of working on Sundays and the employer's duty to inform employees of their rights.
FAQs
- Can non-protected shop or betting workers opt out of Sunday working?
- Is the right for shop and betting workers to opt out of Sunday working dependent on a period of continuous employment?
- Do shop or betting workers employed to work only on Sundays have the right to opt out of Sunday working?
- What is a "protected" shop or betting worker?
- What rights does a protected shop or betting worker have?
- Where a shop or betting worker opts out of Sunday working is the employer obliged to offer alternative hours on other days of the week?
- Can an employer offer shop or betting work to only those individuals who have no objection to working on Sundays?
- Can an opted-out shop or betting worker opt back in to Sunday working?
- Are employers required to inform shop and betting workers of their right to opt out of Sunday working?
- What are the consequences of not informing shop and betting workers of their right to opt out of Sunday working?
Liveflo
- Sunday working: Deal with a shop or betting worker's notice to opt out of Sunday working
- Sunday working: Explain right to object to Sunday working to a non-protected shop or betting worker
