Sunday shop shutdown

This week the government will focus on the issue of banning Sunday trading. The Self-defense (SO) leader, Andrzej Lepper, who put forward the plan, claims that a bill should be enacted in three months' time and become law in December.

SO's proposition is supported by the League of Polish Families (LPR), the Catholic Church and trade unions. In their opinion, people should spend Sundays with their families instead of going to shopping centers. Another argument they use is that 19 EU countries have limits on Sunday trading.

SO and LPR want the ban to be imposed only on shops with more than five employees. But there is some question of the legality of the proposal. "This might violate the Constitution," warns Artur Zawisza, head of the Sejm Economy Commission and a Law and Justice (PiS) deputy. However, he admits that PiS is in favor of the ban.

The Polish Organization of Trade and Distribution (POHiD) claims that imposing the ban will result in a 10- to 15-percent reduction in employment, or the loss of some 60,000 jobs. POHiD says that the ban will hit Polish producers and suppliers as Polish products constitute 90 percent of all goods sold in the big shopping centers. If the ban is imposed demand for these products is likely to fall. According to a PBS survey, 62 percent of Poles are against the ban. According to the Central Statistical Office, retail sales have grown by 8.5 percent since last year.