As Christmas Day approaches, one of only 3 and � days of guaranteed time-off for retail workers, a shop worker says she is gutted that she will again have to fight off attempts to take away family time at Easter for workers in her industry.

Parliament this week passed a motion reinstating business from the previous term of Parliament. Otago MP Jacqui Dean's Shop Trading Hours Act Repeal (Waitaki Easter Trading) Amendment Bill was among them.

Margaret Dornan, president of FIRST Union, and a worker at a retail chain store in Wellington, said that retail workers were sick and tired of attempts to destroy the traditional Easter period.

Margaret said that it was a sense of 'here we go again' for retail workers, after 8 failed attempts in Parliament in recent years to open shops at Easter. She said although Jacqui Dean's bill related to Otago, MPs in other areas also want to liberalise Easter trading laws too.

She questioned why money and profit should be put before family time and religious observance.

"The bigger businesses will stay open to make money, so it particularly affects workers in the big retail chains. If the mall owner wants shops to open, their shop will have to open and retail workers can be called on to work."

"If shops were allowed to open on Easter Sunday, workers who are contracted to work on a Sunday would be expected to work."

FIRST Union Retail Secretary Maxine Gay said New Zealand's shopping laws were already among the most deregulated in the world.

"New Zealanders can shop on 361 and � days a year. We can shop on 51 of 52 Sundays of the year."

"Easter is one of the few guaranteed times that retail workers can have off, to take part in family, community and religious activities."

"Despite Jacqui Dean saying that her bill is about choice and that shops aren't being forced to open, our retail members say this is not a real choice in practise. Shops in large malls are required to open at all times as part of the mall owners' lease arrangements."

Maxine Gay said shop workers would again link up with community groups and churches to protect family time at Easter.

FIRST Union represents 28,000 workers including 11,000 in retail.