Lazy weekends might be a thing of the past for banks and retailers after ordinary working hours are extended.

Banks have delivered an application to Fair Work Australia to include Saturday afternoons and Sundays as normal working days.

The decision comes after the NSW Government lobbed a bill into parliament last Wednesday to open retail shops for trading on Boxing Day.

Concerns have been raised about whether or not other public holidays will face the same fate and who will benefit from the decision.

Unions have backed community groups by opposing the application, as they believe it will only make family life the victim with workers suffering from the demands of working weekends.

The public might economically benefit from the decision marginally with further access to banks and shops however there is little evidence to support the theory.

For more information:

http://www.illawarramercury.com.au/news/local/news/general/the-real-cost-of-longer-opening-hours/2510567.aspx?storypage=1

WORDS: Nizza Munoz

Image from Illawarra Mercury