The amendment to the law voted in the Sejm at the end of November, and then in the Senate at the beginning of December, declares December 24th a public holiday for all employees, including store employees.
In Poland, Christmas Eve was a working day until 2 p.m. for shop employees, while it was formally a working day for public employeeshowever, based on the decision of the workplace superiors – according to established tradition – the office hours could be shorter, lasting until the early afternoon hours.
Malgorzata Paprocka, the head of the presidential office, told the PAP news agency on Friday:
at the same time, the head of state requests a subsequent constitutional court norm control of the new legislation.
Among other things, Paprocka justified this with the reservations of the employee organizations, including the largest Polish trade union, Solidarity, according to which the regulation adversely affects shop workers. According to this, shops can be open on the three Sundays before Christmas.
In 2018, at the initiative of Solidarity, shops were closed on Sundays and public holidays in Poland. According to this, only convenience stores can be open on Sundays, namely if the owner himself is behind the counter.
Larger shops can only be open on the seven Sundays of the year – usually the ones before major holidays – including the two Sundays before Christmas.
The cover image is an illustration. Cover image source: Portfolio
Source: www.portfolio.hu
