Society

Polish president signs into law bill making Christmas Eve a public holiday

The legislation aims to provide all workers with a full day off on Christmas Eve. Photo by Klaudia Radecka/NurPhoto via Getty Images
The legislation aims to provide all workers with a full day off on Christmas Eve. Photo by Klaudia Radecka/NurPhoto via Getty Images
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Poland’s president has signed into law an amendment to the legislation on days off which makes Christmas Eve a public holiday starting from next year.

The lower house of the Polish parliament passed the bill in November.

The aim of the law is to provide all employees, including those working in retail, with a full day off on Christmas Eve.

Currently, stores are permitted to remain open until 2pm on December 24.

The amendment also increases the number of trading Sundays in December to three.

"Andrzej Duda has signed into law a bill providing all employees with a full day off on Christmas Eve and will refer it to the Constitutional Tribunal, Poland's top court, for an ex post constitutional review," Małgorzata Paprocka, a presidential aide, told the Polish Press Agency PAP on Friday.

The decision to introduce an extra shopping Sunday in December had sparked some controversy, with trade unions expressing concerns about the impact on workers.
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