Poland is abolishing Sunday shopping by 2020 so families can spend more time together

Poland’s parliament has voted to slowly begin the process of abolishing Sunday shopping to allow workers to spend more time with their families.

The law has been passed by the sejm — equivalent to the British House of Commons or the U.S. House of Representatives — but must be approved by the Senate and the president, both of which could veto the decision.

Although the major change — which reverses decades of movement on turning Sunday from a holy day of rest into an ordinary day of shopping and work — has been criticised as putting jobs at risk, the government hopes it will improve quality of life for ordinary Poles.

If the law passes, Poland will start by just allowing Sunday shopping on the first and last Sunday of the month in 2018, reports the Catholic Herald. This will be followed by a further reduction in 2019 when it will be permitted only on the last Sunday of the month, followed by a near total ban in 2020. From this point, special allowances will be granted for busy shopping periods — for instance in the run-up to Christmas.