French Workers Protest Government Ban On Sunday Trading

Employees and management staff at 14 home improvement stores in France could face fines of up to 120,000 euros per shop, after they defied a long-standing government law prohibiting businesses from remaining open on Sundays, in an interesting clash of ideologies between the need for work-life balance and workers’ struggle to find jobs.

Employees and management staff at 14 home improvement stores in France could face fines of up to 120,000 euros per shop, after they defied a long-standing government law prohibiting businesses from remaining open on Sundays, in an interesting clash of ideologies between the need for work-life balance and workers’ struggle to find jobs.

According to a report by AFP, both Leroy Merlin and Castorama, two home improvement chains, had been ordered by a court last week to stop opening their stores in the Paris area on Sundays, as a 1906 French law had established the day as a mandatory off day.

However both chains chose to violate the court order as their employees wanted to work considering the nation’s high unemployment rate and stagnant economic growth.

[quote]”I’m outraged by the court decision: All of a sudden, I risk ending up without a salary, which threatens my studies,” said Eleanor Leloup, a 24-year-old chiropractic student who works every weekend at one of the affected Leroy Merlin stores.[/quote]

Other employees led petition drives at their outlets, while wearing T-shirts emblazoned with the slogan “Yes Week End”, in order to protest the government ban.

Under French law, retailers can only open on Sundays under very specific conditions – for instance if they’re located in a tourist area. Shops selling food can also remain open on Sunday, but only until 1 pm.

The law had been established to help ensure rest and a certain quality of life for workers. But both workers and companies are complaining that the “antiquated” law was compromising on business growth, in a time when unemployment is at a record 10.9 percent, while the French economy is flailing.

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Customers who visited the DIY stores on Sunday also blasted the government ban.

[quote]”I’m ashamed, I think it’s outrageous that in this country, people are not being allowed to work. And then people are surprised that there is unemployment,” said Elisabeth Armani, who was at the Ivry Leroy Merlin store.[/quote]

“Where’s the petition? I came here on purpose to encourage these young people who want to work Sundays, we support you,” added Philippe Dafit, another customer, to employees who were distributing leaflets at the entrance to the store.

The employees’ protests also put them in conflict with unions, who have been adamant on defending the 35-hour working week. Some employees also blasted the unions for preventing them from opting to work longer hours for extra pay, coming after a new law came into effect last week banning late-night work.

A spokeswoman for the French Prime Minister’s office said that ministers would meet on Monday to discuss the topic, though she declined to comment directly on the government’s position.

While some politicians have rebuked the protests, such as Justice Minister Christiane Taubira who said that rules must be respected as “we are a state ruled by law,” others acknowledged that the law could do with some flexibility.

“Clearly the status quo is not tenable,” said Marisol Touraine, the minister for social affairs and health.

[quote]”The (Sunday-trading) law is a kind of machine that churns out lawsuits. Given that there are some employees who want to work and shoppers who today want to shop, could we not try to find some kind of path to an appropriate response?” “The (Sunday-trading) law is a kind of machine that churns out lawsuits,” added Budget Minister Bernard Cazeneuve, as cited by Reuters.[/quote]

Junior minister for trade Sylvia Pinel admitted that was “a complexity in the law” that demanded clarification.

“We have inherited a kind of regulatory ‘millefeuille’,” she said, referring to a layered French cake and the different trading regulations that apply in various districts.

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However, despite her apparent flexibility on the Sunday ban, Pinel added that she would remain firm on the ban on late-night shopping, after a case where cosmetics store Sephora were forced to close their Champs Elysees outlet at 9 p.m. instead of midnight.

“Late-night labour must remain the exception in order to preserve the health and free time of employees,” she said.

[quote]”Flexibility is possible via employee-management talks but reforming this law is unnecessary… It is always possible to wait till tomorrow to make a purchase,” she added.[/quote]