The Malta Chamber of Commerce, Enterprise and Industry has said today that it is not in favour of a concession, as suggested by others, for shop owners to open on February 10, the feast of St. Paul’s Shipwreck. Neither is it in favour of shops opening during public holidays and Sundays.

“This is consistent with the Malta Chamber’s stand on the matter.” The Chamber continued, “in fact, it reacted in exactly the same manner in April last year when another call was made for shops to open on May 1st.”

The Malta Chamber concluded by saying “that its stand is derived from the fact that opening on Sundays and Public Holidays will increase costs for shop owners and operators but the long-term effect on turnover is bound to be negligible. The position is therefore being taken in the interest of the shop-owners community – most of whom are SMEs and microenterprises – and their employees. As far as the Malta Chamber is concerned, public holidays and national feasts are a day of rest for both employers and their employees and this should be respected.”

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