Czech Government Rejects Proposal to Close Shops on Five More Holidays

The Czech government has rejected a proposal from the KDU-ČSL party to expand the list of public holidays on which shops would be banned from trading. Industry and Trade Minister Karel Havlíček said the current rules suit people well and there is no need to change them.

The Christian Democrats had proposed adding five more dates to the existing list of trading-free holidays: Good Friday, May 1, July 5 and 6, and November 17. Under current rules, shops are only required to close on New Year's Day, Easter Monday, May 8, September 28, October 28, and December 25–26.

According to the government's official position, approved by the cabinet, the initiative would place additional restrictions on business activity and consumer choice. The document stresses that the regulation in place since 2016 represents a well-established compromise between protecting family life and workers' labour conditions on one hand, and business freedom and consumers' right to choose where and when to shop on the other.

Speaking to reporters after the cabinet meeting, Havlíček said the government does not want to keep introducing new bans.

The initiative was criticised by Renata Burianová, head of the Trade Union of Commerce Workers. Speaking on Czech Television, she said she was disappointed by the cabinet's decision, adding that she believed many ANO voters also work in shops. According to her, expanding the list of holidays is not a restriction on business freedom at all — a point, she noted, that has also been confirmed by the Constitutional Court. Burianová also dismissed the argument that working on holidays lets shop staff earn more, pointing out that extra pay for such shifts depends entirely on arrangements with individual employers rather than being guaranteed by law. She said she found it particularly surprising that ANO itself had supported a similar idea just a few years ago.

The authors of the bill, led by MP Marek Výborný, argue that the current system creates uncertainty every year for shoppers, workers and businesses alike. In their view, expanding the list of holidays would reinforce their status as days of rest and give shop employees more predictable time off.

Meanwhile, the Chamber of Deputies is considering the opposite proposal — a bill from the ODS that would scrap the retail opening-hours law altogether. In March this year the government took a neutral stance on that bill, and the Chamber of Deputies has yet to debate it.

The cabinet also noted that the explanatory memorandum accompanying the Christian Democrats' proposal lacks concrete data — for example, an assessment of the impact on the business environment, consumers and employees. It remains unclear how much shop revenue might fall, and the proposal doesn't rule out a rush of shoppers ahead of holidays or reduced convenience for consumers. Officials also pointed out that the changes could affect competition, since the restrictions would not apply equally to everyone — different rules would continue to apply depending on the type and size of the retail outlet.

The current rules leave existing exemptions untouched: the trading ban does not apply to shops smaller than 200 square metres, pharmacies, petrol stations, outlets at airports and train stations, or hospital shops. On Christmas Eve, December 24, trading is allowed until noon — a rule the Christian Democrats had also proposed to keep unchanged.

The law banning retail trade on public holidays was introduced in the Czech Republic in 2015 on the initiative of a group of senators, including former Interior Minister František Bublan. Trade unions had been pushing for such a ban for almost a decade before that. In 2016, the law was passed in the Chamber of Deputies mainly with votes from the Social Democrats, Communists, Christian Democrats and part of the former Úsvit movement, while ANO, ODS, TOP 09 and some independent MPs voted against it. In 2019, the wholesale trade sector was exempted from the ban.

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Around Prague, based on reporting by seznamzpravy.cz