Feature: Amid tensions with unions Greek stores open on Sunday

Stores in Greece opened on Sunday between 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., marking also the beginning of autumn sales that will last for 10 days.

The Athens Traders Associations, called the consumers to profit from the sales. In response to the call, the Federation of Private Employees (OIYE), opposing the Sunday opening, called for a 24-hour strike, as well as a demonstration in downtown Athens' main shopping Ermou street.

However, most stores in central Athens, did not follow the call for strike and decided to open. Athenians showed a growing appetite for shopping on Sunday.

Petros Karypidis, a high school student told Xinhua: "I find the measure helpful because I am in high school and I have no time to go shopping during the week. Also, during Saturday, I have to attend cram school."

He wished for more "Open Store Sunday" during sales.

Similarly, Chrysanthi Pantazi, 24, who works for a women's clothing store, pointed out that "If it's only for some Sundays, then it's good for the market and the shops but not for every Sunday because in that case consumers will not show up during the week. Now, people go out, stroll, if they want something they will shop, they like this."

For the unions, the measure carries an entrepreneurial but also a human cost.

Thanos Vassilopoulos, general secretary of the Federation of Private Employees, said that the federation is against Sunday opening for two reasons.

"First, the measure has already been tested and did not bring the desired results. On the contrary, there was a drop in turnover, rise of expenses and it did not create any new jobs," he said.

"In a country where shops are open six days per week, from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., there are one million and a half unemployed people," he added.

The "Open Store Sunday" measure is part of Greece's bailout terms. The creditors want to ease restrictions on retail sales and promotional events.

Asked to evaluate the impact of Sunday trading deregulation, Panagiotis Syriopoulos, who works for the Labour Institute of GSEE (Greek General Confederation of Labour), argued that so far there is no significant surge in sales but the matter to consider in order to evaluate the controversial reform is that it already poses problems to the SME's, the backbone of the Greek commerce, since it raises up to 7.5 percent the operating cost of the enterprises.

"The only stores that are profiting are the few malls of the country," Syriopoulos also highlighted the general degrading of working conditions.

The debate for lifting the ban on Sunday commerce is not new in the European Union (EU). In the absence of European regulation, several countries have opted for relaxed legislative restrictions. Many EU countries have adopted specific regulations for free zones for Sunday commerce especially in tourist towns. Endit