Chamber against opening of shops on public holidays

The Malta Chamber of Commerce, Enterprise and Industry is against a concession for shop owners to open on February 10, the feast of St Paul's Shipwreck. Neither is it in favour of shops opening during public holidays and Sundays, it said in a statement.

This, it said, was consistent with its stand on the matter. It reacted in exactly the same manner in April last year when another call was made for shops to open on May 1.

"The Malta Chamber's stand is derived from the fact that opening on Sundays and Public Holidays will increase costs for shop owners and operators but the long-term effect on turnover is bound to be negligible.

"The position is, therefore, being taken in the interest of the shop-owners community – most of whom are SMEs and microenterprises – and their employees.

"As far as the Malta Chamber is concerned, public holidays and national feasts are a day of rest for both employers and their employees and this should be respected," the Chamber said.