August the 11th, 2023 – The recently introduced HDZ Sunday working ban on those in the trade sector has seen a sea of reactions from across the board. The City of Split, headed by Mayor Ivica Puljak, has decided to disregard the rule.
The Sunday working ban for those in the trade sector has been being discussed for many years now, with the divisive topic rearing its ugly head from time to time before being buried again under some scandal or another. Now, what many believed would be a rule that would never come to pass, is official. Given that Croatia’s strongest economic branch is tourism, it’s only logical that a great many are deeply unhappy with it.
Dalmatian and Istrian cities are by far the most heavily affected, as summer and tourism bring in the cash, and with certain Sundays written off by a state that is supposedly secular, Split has decided to fly in the face of this latest controversial government decision.
As Poslovni Dnevnik writes, tourism is booming in the Central Dalmatian city of Split, and as a result, the following dates: the 13th, 15th, 20th and 27th of August and the 3rd, 10th, 17th and 24th of September 2023 have been declared fair days. This was done despite the HDZ Sunday working ban and according to a decision made by the mayor Ivica Puljak. The move was done for the purpose of both Split’s publicity and the city’s current tourism activities, according to the city’s announcement.
According to the aforementioned decision, sales at kiosks, stands and the like, as part of the fair events on the declared days, can start at 08:00 and must end by 12:00.
“With the new Law on Trade, the continued existence of small artisans and shops has become greatly threatened, especially when they depend on the tourist season and every working day is important to them. Therefore, in this way, we want to help them and enable them to work on the days when they are prohibited from doing so,” said Mayor Ivica Puljak.
