Several opposition lawmakers said on Wednesday that the government-sponsored draft amendments to the Trade Act, under which shops would be opened on 16 Sundays a year, did not mean that workers would not be required to work on all Sundays.

Katarina Nemet of the IDS club said that the proposed changes were “a superficial solution”, as some would work on Sundays and some would not. She said she doubted that the proposal would pass the test of constitutionality.

Sabina Glasovac of the centre-left SDP warned that when shops were closed on Sundays, workers could be required to do some other jobs such as cleaning of shops, warehouses and preparing products for sale. This proposal does not ban such work on all Sundays, she stressed.

Anka Mrak-Taritas of the Centre and Glas club said that the proposed amendments were made by the government to curry favour with the Catholic Church.

On the other hand, Katarina Peovic of the HSS and Workers’ Front club said that she would support the draft amendments because they would scale down the number of Sundays when it would be possible for shops to stay open.