Trade
and Industry Secretary Patricia Hewitt is calling for shops to stay closed over
Christmas to protect the holidays of thousands of low-paid retail staff.
Hewitt
is writing to all the major stores urging them to respect 25 December as a
religious holiday and keep the day special.
She
is concerned that a 24-hour shopping culture is depriving check-out staff and
shelf-stackers of precious time off. She is calling for the stores to stay
closed.
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If
the warnings are ignored by the industry, the Government could introduce a new
law forcing them to stop trading on Christmas Day.
