March 2008… when Vince Farrugia wanted ‘unholy’ Good Friday shopping

The boss of the Chamber of SMEs (GRTU) had called on government to allow retailers to trade on Good Friday on 21 March 2008, because of the general elections falling that year on 8 March.

Vince Farrugia this year has demanded that trading laws are changed “so that Good Friday remains as it has always been: a special holy day and a family day for all” and filed a complaint with parliamentary secretary for SMEs, Jason Azzopardi, quashing plans by the Lidl supermarket chain to open for business tomorrow with a hurriedly issued legal notice.

But in 2008 he asked the permanent secretary in the ministry for competitiveness to allow shops to open on Good Friday.

“As you are aware with General Elections falling on March 8 and the aftermath ending March 12, consumers have delayed their pre-Easter shopping to the last week prior to Easter,” Farrugia told Marcel Pizzuto.

“This in effect means that between Saturday 15 March and Saturday 22 March there are only five effective shopping days during which all retail is permitted. GRTU is therefore recommending that you issue notice that all shops and other retail establishments in all localities may open during normal shopping hours on Sunday 16 March 2008, on Wednesday 19 March 2008, and also on Friday 21 March 2008 (Sunday hours apply). This will apply also to pharmacies in all districts.

“Given the particular circumstances and with the last week prior to Easter Sunday having two public holidays the request is more than reasonable,” Farrugia wrote.

But this week Farrugia managed to obtain a flash legal notice from Jason Azzopardi to quash Good Friday shopping. The Trading Licences Act which allows establishments to obtain a special licence to open on Sundays and public holidays, but it has now been amended to bar such licences for Good Friday.

Farrugia claims several retailers had drawn the GRTU’s attention to leaflets issued by Lidl saying its outlets would be open for business as usual tomorrow.

The Times reported Farrugia as saying that the GRTU had surveyed a “wide cross section of retailers” to gauge merchants’ opinions about allowing business on Good Friday. This convinced the chamber that nearly all retailers and customers believe the day should remain “a special one”.

Farrugia was quoted as saying that retailers and their employees should be assured that for one day in a year they did not have to go to work. “All 365 days have become working days. Good Friday means much more than a national public holiday. If there is one day in the calendar that should be kept holy and respected as a special family day, it is certainly Good Friday.”