41 business establishments were granted a permit to open on May 1, for which they each paid €698.81, Finance Minister Tonio Fenech said in parliament.

He said these permits did not include shops which were normally allowed to open on public holidays.

The GRTU had urged the government to allow all shops to open on May 1 should they wish to, but the request was turned down.

GRTU director general Vince Farrugia had warned that a number of shops were expected to defy the law and open for business because they objected to the licence fee. However, the predicted mass act of defiance failed to materialise.

He said later that although most shops remained closed, others chose to roll up their shutters and did good business given it was the first pay-day weekend after Easter, coupled with the fine weather.

"We are happy with the way things turned out. Those who wanted to open did open and while some, such as the shops at Tigné Point, paid the €700, others did not," Mr Farrugia said at the time, pointing out that he had received only three reports of shop owners who were contacted by police.

However, government sources said most of the shops that opened were those normally licensed to do so on public holidays and Sundays, playing down the significance of the action.