Solidarity pushes for extension of ban on Sunday trading

Twelve cities are considering introducing a Sunday ban on trading. In a large part this stems from an initiative of the Solidarity trade union which asked its regional branches to pressure local governments to limit trade on Sundays. Radom was the first city to introduce such a ban and local governments in Elbląg, Lublin, Białystok, Częstochowa, Toruń and Włocławek are currently working on similar projects. However, in some cities like Kraków, Słupsk and Łódź the local government has already rejected the idea since they believe that such restrictions may increase unemployment. Representatives of hypermarkets claim that they post between 20 and 40% of their revenues during the days free from work and admit that they will have to sack around 15-20% of the staff if the regulations are introduced. (Rzeczpospolita, pp. A1, B4) E.B.