“Sunday must not become an ordinary weekday”, say the Swiss bishops. They appeal to the electors to vote in the referendum on 27 November against the Sunday work of personnel in shopping centres located in railway stations, motorway service stations and airports. “The existing regulations point out the bishops in a press release issued on 17 November already permit some limited opening of shopping centres in airports, railway stations and service stations”, enough to “satisfy the daily needs of consumers and, at the same time, to protect the interests of workers. The bill” on which electors are asked to vote on Sunday 27 November “wishes to eliminate any restriction on the sale of goods”; a measure, in the view of the bishops, “which especially serves the interests of the big distributors and from which the economy will derive no advantage”. “The Sunday opening of shopping centres continues the statement especially affects the less well paid workers, because the planned supplementary remuneration will be optional and hence will probably not be paid”. Moreover, warn the bishops, “it will not be long before the big stores close to the railway stations will also claim the same rights as those within them. The result will be that Sunday will become an ordinary weekday”.
