Saturday shopping at risk

New Minister of Industry, Trade and Labor Eli Yishai intends on enforcing law against businesses operating during weekend

David Regev|Published: 05.02.06 , 13:35

Owners of businesses open on Saturdays may begin to face some difficulties. The newly appointed Minister of Industry, Trade and Labor Eli Yishai (Shas) plans on enforcing the law against businesses that are open Saturdays at malls and shopping centers. The enforcement will include fines and indictments against the law breakers, Israel's leading newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth reported Tuesday.

Saturday shopping has recently become more and more popular by secular families. Big shopping centers and malls are open on Saturdays and attract thousands of shoppers.

According to a report by the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Labor, proceeds from some stores are at least double during the weekend. The report also reveals that the ministry permits some 9,000 people to work on Saturdays, but in actuality there are over 230,000 people who work on Saturdays.

To enforce the law, the enforcement administration in the ministry employs four inspectors (non Jews, of course), who in their part-time position tour the shopping centers to enforce the law of working hours and rest, which states that during a work week an employee deserves 36 hours of rest if he works on the weekend and should be paid for overtime. Inspectors fine business owners who don't follow the law.

Yishai: Law will be treated more seriously

The ministry so far did not act against businesses that operate on Saturdays. There was a mutual understanding that if the ministry is enforcing the required work hours' law, it allows the business to remain open on Saturdays and serve the non-religious population.

Now, it seems, this trend is about to end. Officials at the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Labor estimated that once Eli Yishai becomes the minister, enforcement of the Saturday law will increase.

"The delicate balance maintained could crack, and people may be facing closed stores on Saturdays," said a ministry official.

Yishai disclosed that he intends to enforce the law.

"The work hours and rest law is a main social law and we at Shas are determined to enforce it, just like any other law", said Yishai.

"To my delight, this Knesset has more supporters to this enforcement, including members of the Labor Party. The law will be treated more seriously than before", he added.