Cantonal Council SG St. Gallen cantonal council liberalizes store opening hours

In future, stores in the canton of St. Gallen will be able to stay open until 10 pm from Monday to Saturday. This was pushed through by the FDP and SVP in the cantonal parliament on Monday afternoon. A referendum is likely to be held against this change in the law.

The government proposed to the Council a moderate extension of the current store opening hours by one hour in the evening. This would allow stores to stay open until 8 pm from Monday to Friday and until 6 pm on Saturday.

The government explained that this was a compromise and referred to the reactions from two consultations, which ranged from rejection to demands for complete liberalization.

This proposal did not go far enough for the preliminary consultation committee. It requested extended opening hours until 10 pm. The FDP demanded complete liberalization in a motion. There was opposition from the Center-GLP-EPP and SP-Greens parliamentary groups.

Retail trade against

The opponents argued, among other things, that the cantonal trade association had spoken out against liberalization. Only ten percent of retailers were in favor. Only larger chains would benefit from longer opening hours. The changes would lead to poorer working conditions for staff.

The FDP, GLP and SVP said that the current regulations resulted in unequal treatment. This can be seen at the cantonal borders, at service stations or at railroad heights. The government's proposal contains only cosmetic adjustments that do not mean liberalization, but rather a standstill. There is no need for state paternalism regarding the opening hours of stores.

Referendum announced

In the votes, the FDP's proposal for complete liberalization was initially defeated by just one vote. The version of the preliminary advisory committee then prevailed against the government's moderate proposal by 58 votes to 49 with three abstentions.

As a result, the Cantonal Council approved extended store opening hours from Monday to Saturday from 5 a.m. to 10 p.m. in the first reading. If this remains the case, a referendum by trade unions and staff associations is on the cards. This was at least announced at a protest action before the consultation.

In fact, the SP of the canton of St. Gallen reaffirmed its intention in a communiqué on Monday evening and clearly positioned itself against the extension of store opening hours. If the majorities do not change in the final vote during the 2024 winter session, the SP and the trade unions will launch a referendum, it said.

However, the second reading of the amendment to the law will now take place first, followed by the final vote.

SDA