Breaking Sunday trade ban threatens up to 2 years in prison - draft bill

A draft bill on Sunday ban trade that is to be filed by trade union NSZZ Solidarność with Sejm on Friday envisages a penalty of up to 2 years for breaking the prohibition. Gas stations, flower shops, bakeries open until 1 PM, pharmacies and sole proprietorship shops will be excluded from the ban, according to the draft. Henryk Kowalczyk, head of the government standing committee, claimed the government is looking at the project with interest, as at all citizens' initiatives. Trade will also be allowed on two consecutive Sundays before the Christmas, a Sunday before the Easter and last Sundays of January, June, August and the first Sunday of July. Earlier, Adam Abramowicz, PiS MP and head of the parliamentary panel for promoting entrepreneurship and economic patriotism said that the draft act on banning trade on Sundays may pass through parliament later this year and come into force in January 2017, On April 28, the Solidarity trade union established a committee for collecting signatures for banning trade on Sundays. Until now, as many as 350,000 signatures were collected, Piotr Duda, head of the union said.