There was a time when village shops in Malta were not very different from those depicted in the successful BBC series of the 1970s Open All Hours that saw the amiable Ronnie Barker acting as the middle-aged love struck miser with a knack for selling. Shops used to remain open for long hours to serve customers at a time when the economic climate was not one conducive to consumer spending.

Then labour law tightening, the shortening of the working week, and increasing affluence saw shopping hours restricted so that salespeople could also enjoy more free time. Since then the retail industry has undergone a revolutionary change mainly as a result of online shopping that is increasing in importance every year.

The publication of a public consultation document by the government that proposes less stringent rules on the opening hours of retail shops has opened a Pandora’s Box with conflicting arguments on the wisdom of letting shops open their doors for almost as long as they want.

When Economy Minister Chris Cardona announced that “all shops currently not allowed to open on Sunday will be allowed to open between 6am and 5pm”, it raised some concerns amongst shop employees and religious organisations. The Commission for Pastoral Activities among Workers takes a negative view of this measure. They maintain that “with the passing of the law, we will continue killing the soul of the Maltese who used to and still do cherish Sunday”.

But the Consumers’ Association Malta takes a different view. “Shop owners are in the best position to decide their opening days and hours. By opening on Sundays, no one’s rights will be compromised.” Some trade unions are rather reticent in their comments while others seem to agree as long as their members are paid ‘premium rates’ for working on Sunday.

The cruel reality is that this issue is determined by the economic principle of supply and demand. If consumers do indeed welcome the longer shopping hours, then these changes will come through, however negative their social impact may be on shop workers. What many industry observers are questioning is whether the decline in the local traditional retail business can indeed be reversed by letting shops open for longer hours.

Many rightly argue that most retail businesses in Malta still have not embraced the e-commerce strategy whereby they offer their services to customers both online as well in the traditional way. It is almost certain that the retailers that will flourish in the next decade will be those that embrace a ‘clicks and bricks’ strategy to deliver their goods to the customers.

Another sobering reality of the big changes that are happening in the retail industry is that most shop workers are paid very badly because they are not sufficiently qualified to find better jobs. This is a serious negative verdict on our educational system. Precarious work conditions prevail where workers have little bargaining power because their skills and qualifications are limited and give them little choice to pick and choose the kind of jobs that enrich their lives.

It is therefore important that the government commitment to protect workers from precarious work conditions should continue unabated. This is not just about pay, but also about the free time that every worker should have to enjoy the goodness of family life.

While the extension of opening hours of shops is inevitable because the majority of consumers demand this, hopefully, shop workers’ interests will be safeguarded.