The retail group Rewe will again close most of the Billa branches and BillaPlus locations and, for the first time, its Penny stores. Spar, Hofer and Lidl as well as the drugstore chain Bipa, which belongs to Rewe, are opening, an APA broadcast revealed. At Adeg, the independent merchants decide whether to keep it open or not. The Tyrolean grocer MPreis, which is also represented in Vorarlberg, Salzburg, Carinthia, Upper Austria and South Tyrol, only leaves the markets open in shopping centers and train stations where there is an obligation to operate.
At Billa and BillaPlus, too, around 30 branches across Austria remain open due to contractual obligations, for example at Vienna-Schwechat Airport. Branches at train stations such as Praterstern, Franz-Josefs-Bahnhof or Klagenfurt will remain closed on December 8th. At Unimarkt, all stores are closed except for one location.
For the public holiday, surcharges and time compensation are due for the employees. “Workers are to be informed by November 10th that they are to be deployed on December 8th. They have the right to refuse employment on December 8th within one week of being informed. If they do so, they must not be disadvantaged The Chamber of Commerce informs on its website.
Since 1995 the shops have been allowed to stay open on December 8th, but this year fashion and shoe retailers, electronics stores, toy stores, furniture and book stores have to forego the traditionally strong Marian holiday due to the lockdown. There is a threat of trouble if the supermarkets – as in previous lockdowns – not only sell groceries, but also toys, televisions or flowers.
As a small compensation for the failed pre-Christmas business, the social partners allowed an opening on the Sunday before Christmas (December 19) for the first time, which met with approval from many sides. According to Kathpress, the Catholic Workers’ Movement (KAB) of the diocese of St. Pölten was critical of the fact that it was speaking of a “dam break” in view of the planned store openings. “Holy Sunday must not be sacrificed to the quasi-holy practice of buying and selling. For society and the individual, it is important to have one day a week, and especially during the stressful time of Advent, for family, partners, Children, relatives and friends are there, “said KAB chairman Franz Sedlmayer on Wednesday.
Source: Nachrichten
