Čavalić analyzes exceptions to the non-working Sunday: Why can Orašje be exempted, but Tešanj cannot?

(Patria) - Regarding possible new exceptions to the ban on working on Sundays, SBiH MP in the Federal Parliament and economic expert Admir Čavalić wrote his commentary on network X.

- A couple of large retail chains have lobbied for the prohibition of work in some retail outlets in half of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Now they regret it, and it is possible that the Ministry of Trade of the FBiH will offer a new exception - 16 to 20 working Sundays per year. But how many more exceptions?

Sunday has been exempted as one of the days of the week, although our Constitution does not recognize the specialness of weekly days. People who work 6 days a week and have to shop on Sundays have declared themselves not so smart (because those who wrote this law never worked 6 days a week). The FBiH has been exempted, and thus we have become the only country in the world where half the country works and half does not. This has not caused family rest on Sundays, but new consumer behavior: going shopping in RS on Sundays. We are one country, nothing against it. In Doboj, the largest retail park in the country has opened anyway.

Then, through action via the wrong ministry, an exception to work was made regarding the work of retail outlets. It was not done through the Labor Law, but through the Law on Internal Trade. Every worker in FBiH can work on Sundays, but the retail outlet cannot. So today we have retail workers who work on Sundays in cleaning, warehousing, inventory, preparation for Monday, in cold storage, etc. After that comes the famous exception within the law itself - somehow bread is a necessity, but meat is not, flowers are a necessity, but baby food or diapers are not, expensive basic products in a drugstore or at a gas station are a necessity, but food and household supplies are not. By the way, pharmacies are not exempted, they were literally forgotten (in that rush of lobbying). Not to mention the exemption of betting shops, hospitality, transport, all other jobs in FBiH. They don't have mothers, sisters, fathers, families, and it's probably wise to bet and drink coffee on Sundays, and shop during the other six days.

But there is no end to exceptions. Orašje was exempted without problems. They submitted a request, and the FBiH Government exempted them in the shortest possible time. No one threatened Orašje, nor convinced them that their turnover had not decreased. Then a new exception was made in the form of a Decree with some criteria for exemption (turnover and number of employees). Another exception was added among the criteria for exemption - specific circumstances or more simply "how to screw over all other municipalities after Orašje, but exempt Neum in May".

Now the most interesting part begins. When some municipalities/cities proved that they met the first two criteria, the Ministry of Trade began to deal with them and convince them that they also had a drop in turnover and employees in previous months. As if that makes any sense with the criteria (here's an idea: make a new decree and criteria that state that other months before November must also be proven).

Even worse - what does all this have to do with it after Orašje? Where does anyone have the right to moralize after Orašje? As if Orašje is in some other country, reality? The activities that are for the investigative bodies in our country are particularly concerning. For example, a councilor in Tešanj communicates with the Ministry of Trade informally and receives assurance that Tešanj's request will be rejected - even though it has not even been submitted or considered, and even though they meet the conditions. I note that Orašje previously received an exemption without problems. Orašje, Orašje, Orašje... the magic word against hypocrisy.

To summarize the exceptions: (1) One day a week is exempted (2) Half the country is exempted (3) The work of employees is exempted from the work of retail outlets (4) Drugstores, gas stations, bakeries, florists are exempted from others (5) Orašje is exempted from the rest of FBiH (6) Others are exempted by the new Decree (7) The third criterion ("specific circumstances") is exempted from the other two for Neum (8) All others who apply for an exemption (and who are threatened beforehand) and do not have political protection like Orašje and Neum in perspective are exempted.

Therefore, it is not surprising that in the minds of these masters of exceptions, the next exception from the beginning of this text, number (9), is: 16-20 working Sundays. That is probably a logical step.

However, there is a problem with "but" i.e. the exception. It makes those who exempt completely hypocritical because at every step they violate some principles, proclaimed goals, and so on. They cite goals such as the protection of female workers, mothers, cashiers, keeping families together, and so on. All of this would be convincing if there were no exceptions. As it is, it has become clear to everyone that this is a cheap cloak to protect completely failed economic policies, which until recently were supported by large retail chains that lacked workers. Not only that, the exceptions make all of this legal mud, constitutionally questionable, and ultimately absolutely absurd. Therefore, shorten our waiting time (because I know we are heading in that direction after the large retail chains withdrew their support) - (10) exempt us all from the ban on working on Sundays.