Rewe Austria boss Marcel Haraszti is pushing for a liberalization of store opening hours. He advocates an extension of the current maximum from 72 hours to 80 hours between Monday and Saturday. He describes the opening hours law as “very nostalgic”.
He rejects the request of some retailers to open on Sundays. “I think it is right that people are closed on Sundays. It is the day of the family.” Hasaszti had already pushed for a liberalization of opening hours during the week in 2020.
Opening hours between 6am and 11pm
For example, he proposed at the time that branches in the city should remain open until 11 p.m., while locations frequented by commuters should be allowed to open from six in the morning. This is not possible due to the 72-hour rule per week.
“Clear rejection” of the union
There was an immediate “clear rejection” from the GPA union. An extension of opening hours would do a disservice to the attractiveness of the sector for employees.
“Employees are already facing enormous stress and workload due to a lack of staff. An extension of opening hours would make the situation even worse. Working hours from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. are neither employee-friendly nor family-friendly,” said trade sector chairman Martin Müllauer.
Source: Krone
I’m Ben Stock, a journalist and author at Today Times Live. I specialize in economic news and have been working in the news industry for over five years. My experience spans from local journalism to international business reporting. In my career I’ve had the opportunity to interview some of the world’s leading economists and financial experts, giving me an insight into global trends that is unique among journalists.
