Paddy Lillis – Usdaw general secretary says: “It is a huge achievement for the English football team to reach their second European final and it is going to be a historic occasion that most will want to see. Most shops in England will be shut anyway because of Sunday trading laws, but small stores are allowed to be open. So we welcome Tesco and Sainsbury’s taking the lead by closing at 7.30pm and giving staff paid time off to watch the big game.
 
“We hope that all workers who want to watch the game will get a sympathetic response from their employer and, where possible, adjusted working arrangements, with no loss of pay. After nearly sixty years of hurt for English football fans, not many will want to miss what could be a glorious night.”
 
Notes for editors:
 
Usdaw (Union of Shop, Distributive and Allied Workers) is one of the fastest growing unions in the TUC and the UK's fifth biggest trade union with around 360,000 members. Most Usdaw members work in the retail sector, but the union also has many members in transport, distribution, food manufacturing, chemical industry and other trades www.usdaw.org.uk
 
For Usdaw press releases visit: http://www.usdaw.org.uk/news and you can follow us on Twitter/X @UsdawUnion