Hyderabad, March 28: Merchants representing different trades strongly opposed the government’s move to implement staggered weekly holidays in lieu of Sunday for shops and establishments in the twin cities.
At a meeting convened here on Sunday by the Federation of A.P. Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FAPCCI), they resolved to fight till the GO was withdrawn.
They would not settle for anything but Sunday as the holiday for all shops.
FAPCCI president Shekhar Agarwal said a meeting would be convened in the first week of April with the Hyderabad Collector, Labour Commissioner, traffic police and APSRTC to discuss the issue threadbare and to highlight the problems faced by traders.
The traders were asked to pass resolutions through their respective associations for continuation of Sunday as uniform holiday for all shops and establishments and forward the same to the FAPCCI at the earliest. The latter would present the same to the government.
The traders were asked to put up Sunday-as-holiday posters in their shops to show their protest against the staggered holiday system.
“Let’s launch a silent revolution,” Nitin K Parekh, chairman, Trade and Commerce Committee, FAPCCI, told the merchants.
On a representation from the traders, the government had kept the GO in abeyance for the last six month. But since last week the Labour Department was serving notices to the shopkeepers for not sticking to the staggered holidays.
‘Impractical’
“It is practically impossible to close down on other days when banks, government offices and transport companies are closed on Sunday,” said Prakash Murthy of Twin Cities Distributors and Stockist Association.
For jewellers working on Sunday was difficult as they kept their valuable stocks in bank lockers and could not take it out.
A good number of women employees had resigned on account of the staggered holidays as they found it difficult to work on Sundays when their husbands were at home, some traders pointed out.
–Agencies