Hungary votes Sunday rest into law

“Christian day of rest”

With the new law, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán says he wants to protect the day as a Christian day of rest as was the case in Germany and Austria. It nevertheless buckles the European trend to give retailers more freedom, like the choice to open on Sunday.

The (extreme) right wing Hungarian government has voted several laws into practice over the past few months, like some huge new taxes, which will heavily impact foreign investments. This new law will also exempt most (smaller) Hungarian supermarkets. 

Lower wages for employees

Analysts and supermarkets fear the new law will have a devastating effect on consumers and employees alike. Not only will Sunday no longer be a shopping day, employees will also lose additional wages because of the bonuses they previously received for Sunday work.

Retailers will also have to shut down if they do not make a profit in their first two years, according to a recently voted law. Critics feel this law is designed to hit large, foreign chains which usually tend to enter the market with low prices to attract customers.