Sunday trading bill marks resumption of Sarkozy's reforms

The Sunday trading bill passed by France's lower house of parliament marks the restart of President Nicolas Sarkozy's economic reforms. Though it still has to be debated in the Senate, the green light for Sunday trading seems inevitable.

The lower house of the French Parliament on Wednesday approved a bill to allow more stores to open on Sundays in a 282-238 vote. Under the new law, shops in cities like Paris, Marseille and Lille??and in 500 other medium size towns and villages of tourist interest, will be permitted to open on Sundays.

Scrapping France's 35-hour work week was one of Sarkozy's reform pledges, along with changes in the educational system, tax breaks and cabinet reshuffles.

Sarkozy's educational reform raised fierce protests across the country, but the success of his central-right UMP party in European parliament elections last month boosted his confidence.

Polls showed that the approval rating of Sarkozy increased after the EU elections. A survey by Ipsos-Le Point registered a support increase of 3 points to 48 percent, while that by LH2-NouvelObs.com registered an approval rate of 45 percent.

Saving France from the gloomy economy being the government's priority, the administration and its supporters called the change in Sunday working hours a much-needed jolt to boost the economy.

French nationals' opinions on the issue are divided along predicable lines. Even though Sunday trading is not compulsory, which means employers and shopkeepers have the right to refuse it, employees who work overtime in main cities will be entitled to double pay.

Critics regard the change not in keeping with traditional values and synonymous with staff exploitation, while tourist representatives, shopkeepers, chambers of commerce and customers are broadly supportive.

Labor unions, the extreme left, and the church vehemently defended a 1906 law which outlawed Sunday working after a deadly mining accident that helped mobilize support for greater workers' rights.

The 1906 law has been repeatedly amended over the past century. Hotels, restaurants, bars, cafes, tobacconists, video shops open on Sundays, while food stores and markets can open until midday. Small family-owned shops also stay open whenever they want.

More than just to legitimize a situation that already exists, the bill has been updated to help France, the second largest economy in Europe, to wrestle with the most disastrous economic depression in the last 60 years.

The jobless rate totaled 8.7 percent between January and March, up from a revised 7.6 percent for the last quarter of 2008, official figures showed. European Commission experts predict the unemployment rate will hit 9.8 percent by the end of this year and 10.6 percent in 2010.

A total of 2.2 million people were registered unemployed in January, according to official figures. The bill at least appeals to jobless young people who have been badly hit by the financial crisis and are willing to work on Sundays.

It seems that the current 35-hour work week, the shortest among the European countries, is in discord with the huge pressure from the labor market.

"Either we in France roll up our sleeves and get down to work to buck up the economy or we and the country go nowhere," said Guibart, who runs a boutique at the Usines Center shopping mall outside Paris.

Richard Mallie, a deputy from the UMP and one of the authors of the bill, said 15,000 jobs could be saved by the Sunday trading bill.

To work voluntary on Sundays in order to save the French economy or keep Sundays as a day of rest, the Senate will have to decide. Due to the UMP's majority in the Senate, the upcoming debates from July 21 to July 23 are less likely to hinder the legislation, analysts say.