By Zoe Christodoulides
BANG IN the middle of this past summer, something changed for the local consumer as shop doors outside tourist areas – which had previously remained firmly closed on a Sunday – were flung open.
Now on a par with the rest of Europe, malls and city centres no longer resemble ghost towns as the week draws to a close.
With unemployment at an all-time high and people without cash, shops are taking an obvious hit, but the government has consistently argued that extended shop hours are a sure-fire way of encouraging crowds to dip into their pockets, giving the market a welcome boost on the one day that everyone has free to enjoy around town.
The recent renewal of the decree that was first enforced on a pilot basis in July – allowing shops outside tourist areas to open both Wednesday afternoon and Sundays – has met with support and criticism in almost equal measure.
One assistant working at the popular high street fashion retailer, Topshop, in Nicosia raves about the changes.
“I think it’s great for the consumer to come down town on a Sunday and have that freedom of choice. It really was a bit backwards before,” says Loukia Hadjigeorgiou. “And Sunday really is one of our busiest days with the highest turnover.”
Not too bothered about having to work on a ‘day of rest’, Loukia is happy with the shifts agreed on with the handful of other girls that work in the store. “We each take it in turns to do Sundays and there are part timers on hand. There’s never really a problem.”
From the moment the new decree came into play, shops opening on Sunday were legally obliged to cover at least half of the extra opening hours by hiring from the growing pool of registered unemployed. The government covers 65 per cent of these salaries for a period of eight months. Employers are also legally obliged to give double pay for every Sunday worked.
The labour ministry insists the extended shop hours should be seen in a positive light. “There has certainly been plenty of debate and a lot of questions raised surrounding the issue,” Labour Minister Zeta Emilianidou told the Sunday Mail. “But what is of upmost importance is that consumers have really embraced the change. And what’s more, 1,660 people who were previously unemployed have now been given work since the new hours were allowed in July.”
As the island experiences its worst jobless rate in three decades, the government highlights that the measure has been partly successful in helping employment at a time of critical recession. What’s more, Cyprus is following what most of the rest of Europe has been doing for years: giving the consumer the choice of when to shop.
“Just think about when you go on holiday in another European city; the shops are usually open all the time,” points out the labour minister. “We shouldn’t be any different and buyers should have the option of shopping on a Sunday if they so wish. And that goes for all the tourists who visit our island too.”
But for many of the assistants who busy themselves behind the counters, sifting through new collections in the stock rooms, and darting around the shop floor, the picture isn’t necessarily positive, as the extended working hours begin to take their toll on personnel. While shopkeepers are legally obliged to hire extra Sunday staff, there are many who do not go by the book.
“I wish my boss would hire an extra person,” says one disgruntled employee working for a small accessories shop. “It’s always just me and one more girl who have to be here every weekend and I’m just getting really tired of it.”
A handful of retailers are already facing prosecution over failing to pay their employees extra for working on Sundays.
“There have been a lot of investigations to make sure that shop owners are paying their staff. Most of them have fared well, but a few have not,” explains Emilianidou. “Routine checks have revealed offenders and there have been some employees that have come to us themselves and placed complaints.”
In total, the ministry has gone ahead and penalised 12 outlets for not abiding by the law.
“We are really doing our best to address the problem and encourage anyone who feels that their employer is not abiding by the regulations to get in touch with us, anonymously if they wish,” she emphasises. “We really do call out to people to file complaints if they are not being treated according to the law because that will help us ensure that things go smoothly in the future. Everyone is entitled to their rights.”
But 12 penalisations island wide seem optimistically low. The problem takes on an added dimension when fear comes into play, meaning the issue often lies with employees themselves who are too scared to try and claim their rights for fear of losing their job. And if they are not reporting the truth, employers are more likely to get away with unjust behaviour.
“I’ll tell you about a story I was told by the guy who works in the shop down the road,” recalls a waiter at a busy Nicosia cafe. “He wasn’t getting paid any extra on a Sunday so he called the authorities, and they came along to conduct a check. But on that day, his boss also happened be in the shop and he got so scared that he told the authorities to go away; that they must have made a mistake, that it wasn’t him who made any such call. You see? People are petrified of really making a fuss because they think they will just get fired.”
Another waiter at the cafe enters the conversation. “I’ve heard many, many stories. Trust me, most people do not get paid what they should on a Sunday,” he says. “Many shopkeepers hire foreigners and use a fear mongering tactic. Basically, they get told not to say anything so they don’t lose their job. And if they do lose their job, the employer can just find someone else in two seconds.”
Two young girls working in shoe shop confirm the two waiters’ anecdotes. “To be honest, we feel as if we can’t really dare to say anything. There are so many unemployed people these days, we could just lose our job in an instant,” says Koulla. The other assistant, Tatiana, nods her head in avid agreement. “I searched for a job for two years until I found this. How can I now file a complaint about not getting paid extra on a Sunday?”
Both girls also admit to being constantly tired doing the Sunday shifts due to lack of extra staff. “We don’t like it and we wish it wasn’t like this. They are taking advantage of us,” complains Koulla. “But we’re not even really aware of what we are actually entitled to? I guess that’s our own fault. We should do our research. I think it would be a good idea if the authorities sent out a circular or something with all our entitlements listed in a simple manner because I think a lot of workers are a bit clueless.”
Some shopkeepers argue that the new hours work in favour of the big fish while smaller businesses are left to suffer.
“I never in my wildest dreams thought I’d be working on a Sunday,” says one woman who owns a tiny boutique that she has been running alone for years. “But now I feel as if I have to open up, just because everyone else is open. And times are tough so I don’t want to lose any customers that might happen to come in and buy something because they are walking past. But I refuse to come in before 12 noon. I work from 12am-6pm and that’s it.”
The small shopkeers’ union, POVEK, has been predictably vocal in their opposition to the new hours. They insist the decree benefits bigger shops which have the capacity to hire more staff and ability to stay open for longer hours. The labour ministry however is adamant that it is not the new decree that has led to the demise of small shops as some have been recently insinuating.
“We do not believe that it is the new hours that have killed them. People choose when they want to open and how long for,” says Emilianidou. “Of course, we do realise that it may be hard for a small shop with only one owner/employer but the difficulties for small businesses began years before this new decree.”
And it appears as though the government are attempting to take appropriate measures to address the problem. “We are now about to put a new scheme in motion that should be finalised by the end of October that will give small to medium sized shopkeeper’s some strength. We really do believe that all smaller businesses that are currently suffering are the backbone of our economy and want to try and help them.”
What really stands out about the proposed scheme is a new government effort to compensate a percentage of the wage of struggling small to medium sized shop owners up to 70 per cent.
“The government certainly doesn’t want to take advantage of anyone but to open up new opportunities and facilitate economic growth,” insists the Labour Minister. “We’d really like people to see the extension of the shop hours as something positive.”
For now, the new decree is clear. Despite opposition: shops are allowed to remain open all day, every day. This will continue until the end of November, when the extended Christmas hours begin. In January, the government will decide whether or not these new hours will become permanent.
Whether one agrees with a dose of Sunday retail therapy or not, the wheels of change seem to have already been firmly set in motion.
