GRTU to conduct survey among all retailers

by Franco Aloisio

A nation-wide survey among all retailers will be carried out by the General Retailers and Traders Association (GRTU) in a bid to prove whether the majority of retailers are in favour or against Sunday trading.
Secretary General of GRTU, Vince Farrugia yesterday told The Malta Business Weekly the association would be interviewing all retailers in Malta and Gozo, irrespective of whether they are members of the association or not. Mr Farrugia said the results of the survey should be available in three to four weeks’ time. “I truly believe that the GRTU’s stand on this issue reflects the views of the vast majority of retailers. This survey will confirm our conviction,” Mr Farrugia said. However, Bay Street operations manager Chris Grech yesterday said surveys commissioned so far by Standard Publications Ltd (publishers of The Malta Business Weekly, The Malta Independent and The Malta Independent on Sunday) and Xarabank have confirmed that the majority of customers are in favour of shops opening on Sundays.

“I am equally convinced that this applies also for the retailers. We believe that the mentality will change and shops will start accepting that their premises should be open also on Sundays and public holidays, everyone according to his will,” Mr Grech said.
Mr Grech said that Bay Street and the retail shops operating within the complex are being abused by the authorities. He said the 700 people employed at Bay Street are being treated as criminals.
“There were retail owners who were asked to pick their summons from the police station at 11pm. This is ridiculous. Others had their licences withdrawn by the police after the same police agreed to issue them,” he said.
All Bay Street operators will be appearing tomorrow before the magistrates’ court to answer to charges of opening on Sunday without the necessary licence.
Meanwhile, the GRTU’s executive council yesterday issued a statement which said that the views expressed by Vince Farrugia on Sunday trading reflect those of the council and its members. The statement was issued following a meeting held yesterday and which was not attended by Mr Farrugia.
The statement, signed by the council’s honorary secretary Philip Fenech, said on several occasions Mr Farrugia met Chris Grech to discuss the Bay Street project. During these meetings, Mr Farrugia expressed his opposition at the fact that Bay Street would be open on Sundays and public holidays.
The association said that during the meetings, Mr Farrugia was shown designs of the complex, adding that at no stage was there a plan to develop a hotel. The statement said the GRTU intervened to safeguard the interests of those retailers who remained closed on Sundays, as according to law.
Replying to this statement, Mr Grech said he never met Mr Farrugia to discuss the Sunday trading issue.
“I invited Mr Farrugia as a friend of mine and showed him the project. But we never discussed the issue of Sunday trading. It was always our intention to provide accommodation for tourists.” Mr Grech said.
He said that any decision on Bay Street and Sunday shopping is up to the government, and “we will be discussing the issue with the government which is the policy-maker, and not the GRTU”.