The fallout from last week’s shooting down of a ban on Sunday trading continues, as the spokesman for Poland’s Democratic Left Alliance (SLD) agreed the move would hurt the country’s economy. However, in doing so, he proposed that a new tax be placed on the biggest retail chains operating in the country, claiming this would help make local retailers more competitive. Bizarrely, he seems to see a flood of new retailers coming into the country. “Unfortunately, what we see at the moment is the growing number of big retailers entering the Polish market, and this is hurting the local business,” he said.
A total of 262 deputies voted against the Sunday trading ban last week, including 189 representatives of the Civil Platform ruling party. Just 159 supported the measure, while seven deputies abstained.
Public debate started building over the new bill earlier this year. Krzysztof Steckiewicz, a representative for the initiative “Free Sunday”, pointed out that the new bill would noticeably improve the quality of life for numerous Poles working in the retail sector. “This includes mostly women who make up the majority of the workforce in the Polish retail sector,” he said.
But Prime Minister Donald Tusk argued that any interference in the Polish retail sector by the government could have a negative effect on the labor market. According to recent estimates, more than 11,000 Poles working in the the retail sector could lose their jobs if the ban passes.
