Germans contemplate working Sundays to save their economy

“Sunday is the great day on the Continent. The free day, the happy day,” Mark Twain, the American author, wrote in 1880, after visiting the German spa town of Baden-Baden.

Almost 150 years later, these words no longer ring so true. Germany’s venerated “Sonntagsruhe” or “Sunday rest” has become an economic battleground.

Friedrich Merz, the chancellor of Germany, is looking to pull every lever at his disposal to kickstart Germany’s flagging economy, taking aim at everything from tax and red tape to welfare spending and sick leave.

Retailers are pushing to extend this reform blitz to the country’s century-old prohibition on Sunday trading, which once a week turns German high streets into ghost towns.

“Germany needs reforms to help its economy. So every stone is getting turned over, or should be. And we’re saying, ‘Don’t forget our stone,’” said Timo Weber, the boss of department store chain KaDeWe.

They face an uphill battle. Churches, trade unions and politicians from across the political spectrum stand in their way. And they’re fighting a tradition that goes back a long, long way.

In 1919, “Sonntagsruhe” was enshrined in the new Weimar Republic constitution, which said Sundays and public holidays should “remain protected by law as days of rest from work, and of spiritual improvement”. This has carried over into Germany’s current constitution.

Across most of the rest of Europe, even in relatively religious countries, shops and supermarkets can trade on Sundays, at least to some extent.

But in Germany only cafes, restaurants and petrol stations can open, unless there’s a festival on. It is still as quiet as Twain found it in the 19th century.

The difference from Twain’s time is that people are no longer so attached to “Sonntagsruhe”. In separate polls by INSA and YouGov this month, only about half of those surveyed still backed the ban.

‘The German illusion’

Merz has leaned into this gradually opening door. His reform package will allow bakeries and confectioners to open for eight hours on a Sunday, rather than just three. Public libraries’ allowance will increase from three hours to six.

This has kicked off renewed debate over whether the “Sonntagsruhe” is a beneficial tradition or a painful anachronism.

Churches and social groups argue that Sunday closing offers a respite from commerce and promotes social cohesion.

Retailers say that these days people shop online on Sundays anyway, so trade is taking place regardless.

These orders are often being fulfilled from Poland, says Nils Busch-Petersen, the head of the Berlin-Brandenburg Retail Association.

“There are thousands and thousands of employees directly behind the Polish border, working every Sunday to keep the German illusion of a free Sunday,” he says.

Retailers also argue that Sunday shopping has become a leisure activity, so it should be on the same footing as other ways people might spend their day off.

According to Weber, when KaDeWe is occasionally allowed to open on Sunday, its biggest rivals are “the Italian restaurant where you’re going with your family or the stadium you’re going to for a football match”.

“It’s the museum, it’s the cinema, it’s streaming, it’s online shopping, it’s just staying at home. These are our real competitors in terms of time and experience, and we’re not given equal treatment.”

The trade unions are opposed. They warn that relaxing Sunday trading will put employees at risk of being forced to work unsociable hours.

Retailers counter that Germany’s labour laws, which are stronger than Britain’s, ensure that staff working on a Sunday are paid extra and earn time in lieu.

Weber says that on the 10 Sundays a year when his Berlin department store can open, he has more staff volunteers than he needs.

Smaller businesses are less enthusiastic.

‘Put it in the hands of the retailers’

“We have trouble finding employees who are willing to work every Saturday, so how could we find employees for a Sunday?” says Catrin Schulz, a Berlin optician.

“Also, none of our customers have ever asked for it. We wouldn’t have any benefit if we kept our shop open.”

Busch-Petersen says nobody is suggesting shops should be forced to open. He characterises Sunday trading as a three-way pact between the business owner, the employees and the staff.

“If just one of that trio doesn’t want it, there will be no open store. But if all three want it, why shouldn’t they come together on Sunday?” he says.

For him, this is emblematic of a much wider issue. “The question is whether you need to forbid opening to those who want it. It’s a basic societal question: does the state regulate everything or do you let these things regulate themselves?”

Weber agrees: “I’m not suggesting let’s open on 52 Sundays. I’m saying, put it in the hands of the retailers, because they know their business best.”

For Merz, the question is economic. Consumer confidence has been in the doldrums since the post-Covid cost of living crisis. Apart from an increase in May, retail sales have been sluggish for more than a year.

But even if reforming Sunday trading is a panacea, he can only take things so far. Much of the decision-making power on this issue rests with state governments – where many politicians are set on the status quo.

Markus Sӧder, the Bavarian premier, who hails from Merz’s political party, was implacable last week. “Nothing will change regarding Sunday rest in my state,” he declared.

Uprooting such an entrenched tradition looks like a tall order. As one expat Reddit user put it: “What was, must be what continued. In Germany, the only thing less flexible than their mindset is the bread.”

[Source: Daily Telegraph]