Trade unionists campaign against Sunday trading
PR dla Zagranicy
Peter Gentle
05.03.2012 11:47
Solidarity trade union activists protested in front of shopping malls and supermarkets yesterday as part of a campaign to give shop workers a day off on Sundays.
The trade unionists distributed leaflets asking customers to support the demand.
Alfred Bujara, a spokesman for the Solidarity trade union argues that banning Sunday trading would not necessarily lead to a loss of trade, as customers would still buy the same amount of good six days a week instead of seven.
He said that trade unionists in Austria and France were also calling for a ban on Sunday trading.
“I think that, as in Western Europe, we can demand to keep Sunday as a day of rest,” he said.
Around 250,000 shop assistants, mostly women, work on Sunday in Poland.
A previous, conservative Law and Justice (PiS) led government (2005 – 2007) introduced a law banning large retail units opening on national holidays.
Only local shops are allowed to be open on those days provided it is the owner who is working.
The Polish labour code allows for a fine of 30,000 zloty (7,600 euro) if the regulation is broken. (pg)