After the violence, the government asks prefects to facilitate the opening of businesses on Sundays

The government will instruct prefects to organize the opening of businesses on Sundays in their territory, in particular three more Sundays between now and Christmas, in response to a request from the sector affected by urban violence, announced the Minister of Commerce Serge Papin this Monday, November 2. “I am going to ask, starting this week, that the prefects can use a decree” allowing businesses to “open three additional Sundays,” he said on RTL.

And “we can go much further if there are discussions with employer organizations, with trade union organizations, it is on a case by case basis”, department by department, he added. In addition, “mayors have control over 12 Sundays and can also authorize, as compensation for” the losses caused by the violence occurring on the sidelines of demonstrations against the high cost of living, “stores to open on Sundays,” recalled the minister.

Forgotten employees, deplores the CGT

On Thursday, the government had already announced that it was encouraging mayors and prefects to authorize exceptional Sunday openings, demanded by professionals until Christmas. Serge Papin's office specified that the instruction, signed by the Minister of Commerce and those of the Economy, Roland Lescure, of Labor, Jean-Pierre Farandou, and of Public Accounts, David Amiel, would be transmitted "at the beginning of the week".

It aims to remind prefects that they can authorize three special Sunday openings, without consulting the social partners, then organize "consultations with local employers' and trade union organizations" and "trader associations" to go further. The instruction will be addressed to all prefects, who “will appreciate the opportunity, with particular interest in the territories” affected by movements having “disrupted the activity of traders”. It does not include “any instructions on the type of businesses” concerned. This will be specified by “prefectural decrees”.

Questioned Monday on France 2, the general secretary of the CGT, Sophie Binet, said she was “of course” against more working Sundays, recalling that retail employees “are mainly women” and “very largely already subject to atypical hours”. The government measures taken after the deterioration of October 17 “are aimed exclusively at the bosses”, while “employees on whom partial unemployment is imposed lose 40% of their remuneration”, she lamented. “Forcing them to sacrifice their family life by working on Sundays, it’s not serious, it’s shameful,” she lamented. According to Serge Papin, on October 17 “3000 stores” were affected by violence and “almost 400” were looted. But “order was maintained” last Saturday, with 20 stores affected and only one looted, he said.