The Portuguese Parliament discussed on Thursday the closure of large retail stores on Sundays and holidays, alongside reducing operating hours to 10 PM. These proposed changes will face a final vote on Friday, with a rejection already anticipated.
The issue reached Parliament after a group submitted a proposal to amend the operating hours of commercial establishments, supported by more than 23,000 signatories.
During the debate, PSD, CDS, Chega, PS, and IL opposed the proposed changes, while Livre, BE, and PCP were in favor. The PAN party did not clearly state its position but mentioned it is “more than time” to revisit the operating hours of commercial establishments.
Prior to the debate, over a hundred retail workers gathered in front of the Portuguese Parliament in support of the citizen-initiated legislation.
In a statement to Lusa, CGTP’s secretary-general, Tiago Oliveira, criticized the government’s program, highlighting it includes “more measures that attack workers’ rights, more penalties for workers, and more favors for large businesses and wealthy economic groups.”
Oliveira noted that since 2010, while the number of large commercial surfaces has increased, the number of workers has decreased. He remarked, “No capitalist, no company cares about the number of workers they have; they only employ the exact number necessary for their function.”
More than a hundred retail workers gathered today in front of the Portuguese Parliament to advocate for the closure of retail stores on Sundays and holidays and for reducing their operating hours to 10 PM.
Lusa | 15:41 – 26/06/2025
PCP’s secretary-general, Paulo Raimundo, was also present at the gathering and argued, “this claim is fair, and that’s what matters.” He acknowledged that some professions, like emergency medical services and healthcare workers, cannot cease operations on weekends but underscored that this justification does not apply to retail stores.
Raimundo stated it is unfair to have “almost two million workers in the country working on Saturdays and Sundays” and emphasized these workers “deserve working conditions, stability instead of precariousness, and time to live.”
“The country used to function with retail stores closed on weekends; it used to function with them closed on Sundays, then only open until Sunday lunchtime. It’s necessary to return to that for the sake of life,” the PCP secretary-general declared.
What do the retail leaders say?
The Portuguese Confederation of Commerce and Services (CCP) views the debate on the sector’s operating hours as “positive” and advocates for an “indispensable” working group to address the issue.
In a pre-debate statement, the CCP welcomed a broad and cross-sectional discussion about commercial establishment operating hours, including the idea of closing large retail surfaces on Sundays.
The Portuguese Confederation of Commerce and Services views a wide-ranging and cross-sectional debate on retail licensing hours positively, following PCP’s announcement to propose the closure of general commerce on Sundays and holidays.
Beatriz Vasconcelos | 14:29 – 25/06/2025
However, the organization “considers it essential and is open to fostering the creation of a Working Group to address the issue, bringing together various interests involved.”
“It is possible to conclude from the analyses we conduct that there is a significant difference between the legal framework and practice,” said the confederation’s president, João Vieira Lopes, in the statement.
