Government to oppose push for Sunday trading ban

photo - PR

"I am a supporter of the smallest amount of state interference in the market" and the issue of Sunday trading "should be left to citizens themselves," PM Tusk has said of the initiative signed by 90 MPs from various parties, including the ruling centre-right Civic Platform.

Trading on national holidays has been banned in Poland since a law was introduced when the conservative Law and Justice (PiS) party was last in power from 2005 - 07.

Many in the now opposition party want to extend the ban to Sundays as well, arguing that, "Sunday is traditionally a holy day and for the family" and has been joined by MPs from junior coalition partner Polish Peasants Party (PSL) and 11 from Civic Platform.

PSL's Eugeniusz Kłopotek said last May when the parliamentary initiative was first announced that "Sunday should be a day of rest and people should not have to run around the shops".

Prime Minister Tusk said on Wednesday however that introducing a trade ban on Sundays at a time of over 13 percent unemployment would be foolish.

"Talk to me again about this when unemployment is under 10 percent," Tusk told journalists.

"To claim that Sunday should be a day off work for all is impossible in today's society," he said. (pg)