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Factsheet for measure PL-2020-49/1736 – measures in Poland
Country | Poland , applies nationwide |
Time period | Temporary, 01 December 2020 – 31 January 2021 |
Context | COVID-19 |
Type | Legislations or other statutory regulations |
Category |
Ensuring business continuity and support for essential services
– Change of work arrangements (working time, rota schemes) |
Author | Jan Czarzasty (Warsaw School of Economics) |
Measure added | 20 January 2021 (updated 29 September 2023) |
Since 1 January 2020 trading on all Sundays (within few exceptions) is disallowed in Poland. The only statutory exceptions are explicitly named in the national legislation and include last Sunday in January, April, June, August and also two consecutive Sundays preceding Easter as well as the Sunday preceding Christmas. However, due to extraordinary, pandemics-related situation, which not only impacted on the supply-side but also on the demand-side, with customers' access to facilities severely limited, the government decided (with parliamentary endorsement) to make one-time exception and allow trading on all Sundays in December expect for the one directly following Christmas. So three Sunday in a row (6, 13, and 20 December) were eventually trading days.
In the Act on Restrictions on Trading on Sundays, Public Holidays and Some Other Days, the new article (no. 17a) was insterted, stating that "on 6 December 2020 the restrictions named by the article 5 do not apply".
The article 5 mentioned above states that: "On Sundays and holidays in commercial establishments:
The measure, as explicitly stated by the new regulation (art. 17a) is a specific instrument to be used only once.
6 December 2020, Sunday, was a full-length trading day.
Workers | Businesses | Citizens |
---|---|---|
Employees in standard employment
|
Sector specific set of companies
|
Applies to all citizens |
Actors | Funding |
---|---|
National government
Trade unions Employers' organisations |
No special funding required
|
Social partners' role in designing the measure and form of involvement:
Trade unions | Employers' organisations | |
---|---|---|
Role | Consulted | Consulted |
Form | Direct consultation outside a formal body | Direct consultation outside a formal body |
Social partners' role in the implementation, monitoring and assessment phase:
The one-time lifting of the ban was a result of persistent pressure and lobbying of employer organisations and business associations from the retail sector.
Employers' side not only supported by also promoted the measure. Of trade unions, NSZZ "Solidarność" stood firmly against it, while other major confederations (OPZZ and FZZ) reportedly took neutral position.
This case is sector-specific
Economic area | Sector (NACE level 2) |
---|---|
G - Wholesale And Retail Trade; Repair Of Motor Vehicles And Motorcycles | G47 Retail trade, except of motor vehicles and motorcycles |
This case is not occupation-specific.
Citation
Eurofound (2021), Ban on Sunday trading partly lifted in December, measure PL-2020-49/1736 (measures in Poland), EU PolicyWatch, Dublin, https://static.eurofound.europa.eu/covid19db/cases/PL-2020-49_1736.html
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