Labor laws thwart plans for Sunday openings at Aldi

Aldi’s plan to keep its stores open until 1 p.m. on Sundays conflicts with Belgian labor laws: the retailer is only allowed to have its employees work until noon on Sundays.

Strictly defined exceptions

Last week, Aldi explained its plans regarding Sunday openings to the unions. The discounter would like to keep all stores open on Sundays from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Employees can choose to work on Sundays on a voluntary basis and will receive a financial bonus or extra time off. The stores will not be open on legal holidays.

But the unions have sharply criticized these plans. They point out that Aldi’s proposal violates Belgian labor law: the retailer is only permitted to have its employees work until 12 p.m. on Sundays. On Saturday, the Federal Public Service for Employment ruled in favor of the unions: Aldi employees may not work on Sunday afternoons, except in strictly defined exceptional cases. For example, staff may work all day on Sundays six times a year. This is also permitted in seaside resorts or tourist centers.

“Lawlessness”

Previously, Carrefour —which keeps its integrated stores open on Sundays from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m.—had also expressed a desire to extend its opening hours by one hour: from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. This, too, drew criticism from the unions at the time.

The ACV Puls white-collar union even speaks of lawlessness because many stores are open on Sunday afternoons anyway. According to the union, there is hardly any enforcement of the rules, and fines are disproportionate to the profits made. The press office of the FPS Employment responded to this by telling the Belga news agency that the labor inspectorate intervenes when it detects violations. “Inspections are carried out both in response to complaints and on our own initiative.”