Government asks prefects to facilitate Sunday store openings to support businesses affected by protest-related violence

On Thursday, the government had already announced that it was encouraging mayors and prefects to authorize exceptional Sunday openings, which business professionals have been requesting through Christmas.

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The government will instruct prefects to organize Sunday openings for businesses in their regions, notably three additional Sundays between now and Christmas, in response to requests from a sector heavily affected by urban violence, Minister of Commerce Serge Papin announced on Monday, November 2. "I am going to ask, starting this week, that prefects make use of a decree" allowing businesses to "open for three additional Sundays," he stated on RTL. Furthermore, "we can go well beyond that if discussions take place with employers' and labor organizations; it will be handled on a case-by-case basis," department by department, he added.

Additionally, "mayors have authority over 12 Sundays and can also authorize stores to open on Sundays as compensation" for losses caused by the violence on the sidelines of protests, the minister recalled. On Thursday, the government had already announced that it was encouraging mayors and prefects to authorize exceptional Sunday openings requested by business owners through Christmas.

2,500 businesses affected on the sidelines of demonstrations

The network of Chambers of Commerce and Industry (CCI) welcomed the measure in a statement, calling for permission to open on Sundays throughout November and December in an appeal for "collective mobilization" to support local shops. The CCI states that "2,488 businesses were affected during the violence on October 17, an additional 50 on October 24, and 27 more on October 31." Among them, "1,161 suffered severe damage," namely being "looted, ransacked, or even set on fire." More than 6,000 businesses have been prevented from operating, and retailers report revenue drops of 60% to 80% on mobilization Saturdays, according to the CCI.

Questioned on Monday on France 2, CGT General Secretary Sophie Binet stated she was "of course" opposed to increasing the number of working Sundays, noting that retail employees "are mostly women" and are "already very largely subjected to non-standard working hours." The government measures taken following the October 17 damages are "exclusively aimed at business owners," while "workers placed on partial unemployment lose 40% of their wages," she lamented. "Forcing them on top of that to sacrifice their family life by working on Sundays is not serious—it is shameful," she protested.

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