A petition demanding that Tesco on the Scottish isle of Lewis remain shut on Sundays has gained over 1,300 signatures.
The island within the Outer Hebrides is home to around 20,000 people and it remains to be common on this a part of Scotland for outlets and businesses to be closed on Sunday.
The petition on Change.org was launched six days ago by islander Alasdair Macleod, who said that if Tesco opens seven days per week within the island’s predominant town of Stornoway, then other shops and businesses are more likely to follow.
“Tesco is and has been a highly valued and revered, local employer and retailer, repeatedly giving generously to local charities and causes and at all times respecting our local Sunday tradition of rest. We hope this mutual respect of community and retailer will long proceed,” the petition reads.
“If Tesco Stornoway, certainly one of the most important shops within the Western Isles, opens on a Sunday then other businesses and organisations will probably be more more likely to open on a Sunday too. They will sadly feel pressured too.”
The petition speaks in regards to the value to employees and families of a day of rest on Sundays and says that signing it’s “standing for the glory of Christ, our Christian tradition, our community spirit, and our right to be different”.
“Many of us hold cherished memories of island Sundays as a guaranteed day of rest, leisure and no work – a precious day of family time and worship. However, this easy yet profound day is in danger as a result of the concept of seven-day trading creeping into our culture,” it says.
“When stores and businesses open their doors on Sunday, it could appear to be a convenience at first, however the resulting ripple effect leaves employees with less time to rest, less time for family, less time for church worship and invariably, a lower quality of life.”
Unlike in England and Wales, there aren’t any restrictions on Sunday trading hours in Scotland and plenty of larger chains, including supermarkerts, are open seven days per week. In 2003, laws was passed giving Scottish shopworkers the suitable to refuse to work on Sundays.
The local council in Stornoway has already given permission to Tesco to open its doors on Sunday however the supermarket must seek the advice of with staff on the branch.
The petition continues, “Often we do not realise the worth of what we’ve until it’s gone. We are the envy of many individuals living in mainland Scotland with our peaceful, work-free Sundays so why swap them for his or her hectic, stressful, work-filled, busy Sundays?
“Every yr the Outer Hebrides is voted right at the highest of a poll of the happiest places to live within the UK. Is it a coincidence that our islands as an entire, are certainly one of the one places that also has a guaranteed traditional Sunday of rest and no work?”
