Social partners agree: shops should close at 7pm – Coronavirus Vienna

Stores in Austria should close at 7pm during exit restrictions. The social partners in commerce, the union GPA-djp and the federal division of commerce of the Chamber of Commerce (WKÖ) have agreed on this, as they announced on Monday. For the purposes of legal certainty, they would like a corresponding regulation from the Ministry of Health. If there will be one it is open.

“Currently it is being examined whether it is conceivable to legally regulate this area in the planned way. In principle, the social partners have the option of making the appropriate regulation on this issue themselves,” said the Ministry of Health at the request of the APA.

If it is up to the social partners, the stores should close by Tuesday, November 3 at 7 pm, as the union and the Chamber of Commerce said when requested by the APA. The regulation is already in place, the Health Ministry has yet to give the green light, said GPA-djp spokesman Martin Panholzer. “We assume that it will apply from tomorrow.” WKÖ business chairman Rainer Trefelik also told the APA that they had been in talks with the government for some time. “I think that will happen quickly.”

During the first shutdown, some distributors opened their stores earlier, according to a union spokesman Panholzer. That should now be avoided. “A store opening should not be allowed in the morning before the time this store usually opens on this working day,” the social partners said in their joint broadcast.

Departure restrictions between 8 p.m. and 6 a.m. apply Nov. 3-12 for now, but could be extended multiple times.

With the early closure of the stores, the union wants to give predominantly female business employees the opportunity to be home in time for the start of exit restrictions, as GPA-djp president Barbara Teiber said in the broadcast. . “Many depend on public transportation and do not have a car. The way home should not become a security trap.”

Commercial president Trefelik said that the temporary restriction of opening hours had already been tested during the first closing. “This made it possible to guarantee even better the capacity of the personnel in the trade and, therefore, the security of supply for all Austrians.”

The social partners strive to take into account the special needs of travelers, employees with childcare obligations and family members in need of care. Care must be taken in the organization of work, that is, in the preparation of the store opening and in the follow-up work at the end of the business, as well as in the division of work hours. “It is particularly about travel to and from the airport and compliance with prescribed departure restrictions.”

If exit restrictions are extended beyond November 12, stores should close at 7 pm, the social partners agree.

The trade association welcomes the planned restriction of opening hours and also awaits timely regulation from the Ministry of Health to ensure legal certainty, as announced on Monday. According to the association, the opening hours should be limited to 7 pm during November. There has been an exchange with the Federal Competition Authority (BWB) since the weekend. The reason: Currently, in shopping malls, for example, retailers must keep them open until 9 pm “A uniform store closing time of 7 pm would provide security for both employees and the company, as well as customers, “says Rainer Will, CEO of the trade association. The restriction on opening hours should only apply while the exit restrictions.

Current situation of the crown in Austria