Shops Act 1950

17Statutory half-holiday for shop assistants

(1)Subject to the provisions of this Part of this Act, on at least one week day in each week a shop assistant shall not be employed about the business of a shop after half-past one o'clock in the afternoon:

Provided that this provision shall not apply to the week preceding a bank holiday if the shop assistant is not employed on the bank holiday, and if on one week day in the following week in addition to the bank holiday the employment of the shop assistant ceases not later than half-past one o'clock in the afternoon.

(2)The occupier of a shop shall fix, and shall specify in a notice in the prescribed form, which must be affixed in the shop in such manner and at such time as may be prescribed, the day of the week on which his shop assistants are not employed after half-past one o'clock and may fix different days for different shop assistants.

(3)In the case of any contravention of this section, the occupier of the shop shall be liable to a fine not exceeding—

(a)in the case of a first offence, one pound ;

(b)in the case of a second offence, five pounds ; and

(c)in the case of a third or subsequent offence, ten pounds—

unless, in the case of a shop assistant employed after half-past one o'clock in contravention of this section, he proves that the shop assistant was employed merely for the purpose of serving a customer whom he was serving at that time, or, where the time for closing the shop was also half-past one o'clock, that the shop assistant was employed merely for the purpose of serving customers who were in the shop at that time.

In considering for the purposes of this subsection whether an offence is a first, second or subsequent offence, any offence under subsection (2) of section nineteen of this Act shall be treated as if it were an offence under this subsection.