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Shop workers slam new opening hours law

Nearly every shop worker surveyed by workers’ union Unia is opposed to a proposed new law that will extend store opening hours in some Swiss cantons.

Shop workers slam new opening hours law
Lucerne is one city that would be affected if the law is approved. Photo: Bob Hall

The federal law, which is due to be discussed in parliament on February 29th, aims to harmonize shop opening hours across the country with proposed times of 6am-8pm Monday-Friday and 6am-7pm on Saturdays.

At the moment opening hours are set at cantonal and communal level, meaning that while the new law would have no effect in cantons that already allow shops to stay open until 8pm, such as Zurich, employees in 14 cantons including Vaud, Valais and Lucerne could see their working hours considerably extended.

In Unia’s poll, 96 percent of the 2,520 people surveyed were opposed to the law, while just 1.85 percent were in favour and 2.1 percent had no opinion.

There was no significant difference in opinion across the country, said Unia.

“The prospect of having to work later into the evening is clearly rejected by those surveyed,” it said in a statement.

“The results are more marked than in previous surveys, probably because employees feel the threat more and more,” it added.

However many retailers are in favour of the new law, expressing frustration at current limits to store openings in many parts of Switzerland, particularly in cantons bordering neighbouring countries where opening hours are longer.

Backing the changes, Swiss commerce group CICDS says longer opening hours are necessary to meet changing consumer habits.

“The flexibility of working hours, longer commutes and the evolution of family life means an increasing number of Swiss are doing their shopping in the evening,” said CICDS in a statement on its website.

“Swiss traders are not asking to open their shops 24 hours a day,” it added. “They are looking for ways to offer an appropriate response to changing shopping and leisure habits in Switzerland.”    

However SGB, an umbrella organization for trade unions, disagrees.

Writing on the organization’s website earlier this week, Luca Cirgliano, a member of the SGB’s secretariat, said the new law smacked of a “salami strategy” to implement 24/7 opening by degrees.

“Supporters of total deregulation prefer to proceed by small steps, hoping that the electorate will not see what they’re doing,” he said.

“Each small step in the direction of deregulated hours… serves the final objective of extending opening hours of all shops and stopping or limiting the ban on evening and Sunday work.”

He also slammed the new law’s “clear threat to working conditions”.

Currently, jobs which require employees to work evenings or on-call “are the cause of an increase in stress and cases of ‘burnout’, as well as being a threat to work-life balance,” said Cirgliano.

“The new law on shop opening hours would worsen working conditions for more than 200,000 workers.”

If the new law is accepted by parliament Unia said it would push for a referendum on the matter.

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SHOPPING

Can you go shopping from Switzerland to neighbouring countries?

Are Swiss residents allowed to go shopping in border regions now, and under what conditions?

A sign on the Swiss border with France.
Photo: Fabrice COFFRINI / AFP

The so-called ‘shopping tourism’ is very popular among Switzerland’s public, as food and many other goods are cheaper in neighbour countries. 

At certain times during the Covid-19 pandemic, crossing the border for non-essential reasons, including shopping, was banned, but far fewer restrictions are in place now.

This is what you should know before you go shopping across the border(s):

Italy

As the Lombardy region of Italy is in the red zone since Monday due to a surge in the number of Covid cases, Ticino officials asked federal authorities to strengthen controls at the border.

They noted that “already a year ago, Ticino suffered the first pandemic wave precisely because of the free movement of people from Lombardy”.

This measure, intended primarily to stop Italians from coming into Switzerland, could also impact Swiss residents returning from a shopping trip.

However, Karin Keller Sutter, the head of the Federal Department of Justice and Police, said Switzerland is not planning to implement systematic checks at the Italian borders.

So while theoretically a jaunt across the border is possible, a ‘red zone’ classification means that shops, along with restaurants, schools and museums, are closed.

This is also a situation in Piedmont, another region that borders Ticino.

The only people with unrestricted access both ways are Italian cross-border workers who are employed in Switzerland. 

READ MORE: Which of Switzerland’s neighbouring countries can you enter – and what are the rules?

France

Swiss residents are not prohibited from entry into France and do not have to quarantine. But arrivals to France will need to provide a negative test result which is not older than 72 hours. 

However, cross-border commuters and people who reside within 30 kilometres of a border area do not need to provide evidence of a test. The evidence that can prove that your residence is within the authorised distance includes an ‘attestation de domicile’ from your local commune or an official envelope with your address on it.

But some shoppers have said that the 30-km requirement is not systematically checked or enforced, because smaller border crossings are unmanned on the French and Swiss side.

In fact, Swiss residents go to France not just for shopping but also to get Covid tests, as they are cheaper than in Switzerland.

READ MORE: Coronavirus: Why are Swiss residents going to France to get tested?

Keep in mind too that France has a 6 pm curfew, so you have to return to Switzerland before that time.

Austria

Current regulations require a 10 to 14-day quarantine for all arrivals, including from Switzerland.

The only exemptions are for urgent family matters or work, including the cross-border employees.

So no shopping in Austria for the time being.

Germany

Travel into Germany from Switzerland is discouraged but not banned. This includes tourist and shopping travel, although tourist accommodation is not allowed to open at present in Germany. 

While you may be allowed to enter, you may also be required to quarantine. 

Whether or not you will have to quarantine depends on which of the 16 German states you are entering. Click here for up to date official information

Both Baden-Württemberg and Bavaria, the two states closest to Switzerland, do not consider shopping to be a valid ‘exception’ – meaning that anyone entering to go shopping will be required to quarantine, which is a great way to spoil a shopping trip. 

If the German state requires you to quarantine, it will last for ten days but can be ended early from the fifth day with a negative test result. 

People entering from Switzerland must have a negative test result of less than 48 hours and must register online

Anyone who visits the state of Thüringen/Thuringia will need to quarantine on their return to Switzerland

Note: This page was updated on March 16th to reflect the updated policies of Baden-Württemberg and Bavaria, both of which consider shopping and tourism not to be valid reasons to avoid coronavirus quarantine. 

Editor’s note: Please keep in mind that this article, as with all of our guides, are to provide assistance only. They are not intended to take the place of official legal advice.

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