A campaign in Switzerland has started against the Labour Law, up for vote on 27 November, which will see shops open for the first time on Sundays.
The campaign, led by church-based "Committee for Sunday", is circulating posters which read, "Make Sunday a Work Day? No to the New Labour Law."
The revised Labour law will see a change to shop opening times in busy centres for travelling. According to the new law, all shops in main train stations and airports will have to open their doors to consumers for unlimited hours and sale of products on Sundays.
Before now an exceptions ruling made it possible for shops to opt out of opening on Sunday.
The supporters of the bill want to end the ban on selling medication, groceries and other necessities for travel, but concede that the extension of working hours to Sunday are the first steps towards the end of the work-free Sunday.
Pressure has since increased on tradespersons outside of these centres of public travel, who will most likely have to conform to the competitive conditions. The Swiss Bishops Conference now fears a "general liberalisation of the shop opening times."
Numerous denominations across the Christian spectrum have joined together to oppose the legislation. The "Ecumenical Committee for Sunday" was founded by church members in January 2005, openly supported by the Swiss Bishops Conference, as well as numerous Catholic priests and reform church congregations, groups and institutions.
The stated aim of the Committee is, according to a press release, to "build up a strong movement for the protection of Sunday" and to spread a poster-campaign to all corners of Switzerland. The Committee is fighting to keep Sundays free not simply because of its holiness as a religious holiday, but also to safeguard it as a day of peace and rest, of freedom, as a day for the family and community, and indeed all of society.
The Swiss Evangelical Church Alliance (SEK) and the Bishops Conference will officially make their position public under the title "Protect Sunday, Strengthen Society".
The Committee is planning to release the core message of their campaign, "Make the Sunday a Work Day? No to the new Labour Law", to churches across Switzerland after the 15 October. The Committee said "In this way a strong presence will be possible through only modest materials".
The Committee has already received many orders for the posters, encouraging the protestors that their concerns are shared by much of the Christian community across Switzerland.
