AKEL tables bill to halt extended shop opening hours

MAIN opposition AKEL on Thursday tabled a bill stripping the labour minister of the power to issue decrees on shop opening hours.

The House labour committee intends to conclude discussion of the proposal in two weeks, after which it will take the bill to the plenum for a vote.

The legislative proposal aims to put an end to the labour minister’s decrees – issued on ad hoc basis – and so force the government to explicitly and comprehensively regulate the matter of shop opening hours by introducing relevant legal regulations.

The anticipated regulations would determine such things as holidays and what constitutes a tourist area. The bill is authored by AKEL, and co-sponsored by DIKO MP Angelos Votsis and EDEK deputy Roula Mavronikola.

AKEL is pushing for a comprehensive overhaul of the current regime, as it opposes the government decision to extend shop hours across the island (previously reserved for tourist areas only) to include Wednesday afternoons and Sundays. The move is also opposed by POVEK, the small shop owners association.

The government introduced the measure in July 2013 in a bid to boost the economy.

AKEL says the measure is a flop, arguing that it is lopsided, benefiting large retailers at the expense of small businesses, which cannot compete.

The party has cited its own figures showing that hundreds of convenience stores and bakeries have shut down, with some 2700 people losing their jobs.

But the retailers association has hailed the measure as a success, which did not only boost the market but also provided employment to around 6,000.

The association includes supermarkets, fruit markets and small businesses.

For her part, Labour Minister Zeta Emilianidou earlier said that as a result of extended shop hours, retail trade between July 2013 and August 2014 rose 3.6 per cent and around 7,000 people were hired.

The government keeps extending the regime through decrees issued every few months.

 

 

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