AG appeals to Supreme Court on shop hours

THE attorney-general on Thursday submitted an appeal to the Supreme Court over the much contested shop hours regulations.

According to announcement from the state legal office, the appeal seeks “a court ruling that parliament’s decision dated December 10, 2015 which rejected the regulations the Cabinet approved regarding shop opening hours, violates the principle of separation of powers and is invalid.”

He was referring to government proposed regulations that provided for more liberal working hours including opening on Sundays as well as Wednesday and Saturday afternoons.

Although on December 3 the Supreme Court found parliament’s legislation regulating shop hours unconstitutional, arguing the right to regulate the policy was solely the government’s, a week later, lawmakers nevertheless put it to vote.

Rejected by majority, the decision means a 2006 law regulating shop hours will return into force as of January 2 – when the current ‘holiday’ working schedule expires. This law will allow bakeries and kiosks to open on Wednesday afternoons and Sundays, but the rest will remain closed or be threatened with a fine.

As of now however, large retailers are vowing to contest it saying they will remain open on January 3, the first Sunday of the New Year and the implementation of the 2006 law.

The state legal office added that it “requests from the supreme court a ruling where the rejected regulations by the Cabinet continues to be valid and can be published and enforced immediately.”

The appeal will be put before the full bench of the Supreme Court on January 12, 2016 at 12pm for further instructions.

 

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