Author: news.admin.ch

Summary

On 22 April 2026, the Federal Council welcomed a proposal from the Commission for Economic Affairs and Taxation of the Council of States to expand Sunday work in retail stores. The proposal enables cantons to increase the number of Sundays permitting Sunday work without special authorization from the current four to up to twelve per year. The Federal Council emphasizes that the federalistic approach is preserved and cantons can decide independently on implementation. The standing initiative of the Canton of Zurich from 2023 is thus implemented.

Persons

  • Canton of Zurich (Initiator; Standing Initiative)

Topics

  • Labour law and shop opening hours
  • Federalism
  • Economic policy
  • Sunday work

Clarus Lead

The decision signals a pragmatic balance between economic flexibilization needs and federalistic structures. For cantons and retail businesses, this opens up new scope for action in a regulatory sensitive area – without imposing central requirements. The moderate increase from four to twelve Sundays per year addresses the standing initiative discussed since 2023 and enables differentiated cantonal solutions.

Detailed Summary

The Federal Council explicitly appreciates that the federalistic approach is preserved. The cantons retain full decision-making authority: they can use the new regulation or reject it and, if implemented, determine themselves how many of the up to twelve Sundays they will allow. This enables cantons to take local economic and social particularities into account.

The current protective provisions of the Labour Act for Sunday work remain unchanged – even on the newly added Sundays. Cantonal authority over shop opening hours is not restricted by the proposal. Individual retail stores can also independently decide whether they want to deploy staff on the Sundays released by the canton, based on their cost-benefit analysis. As a next step, the Commission for Economic Affairs and Taxation of the Council of States will address the Federal Council's statement.

Key Points

  • The Federal Council welcomes the moderate increase in Sunday work days from 4 to a maximum of 12 per year
  • Federalistic decision-making authority of the cantons remains fully preserved
  • Labour protection provisions and cantonal shop opening hours authority are not affected
  • Individual businesses decide independently on staff deployment on free Sundays

Critical Questions

  1. Evidence: What empirical data on sales development or employee satisfaction underlie the Zurich standing initiative, and has the Federal Council verified these?

  2. Conflicts of Interest: What positions do employer associations versus trade unions take on the expansion, and how were these weighted in the commission discussion?

  3. Causality: Is it expected that all cantons will use the full expansion to 12 Sundays, or are regionally different implementation rates likely – and with what consequences for fair competition?

  4. Feasibility: How will cantons be supported in the practical communication and monitoring of Sunday releases, particularly in border regions with different cantonal regulations?

  5. Side Effects: Could the increase lead to increased pressure on employees, especially in cantons with high retail density, despite unchanged protective provisions?

  6. Alternatives: Were less invasive flexibilization models (e.g. time-limited pilot projects or opt-in systems for businesses) discussed?

Sources

Primary Source: [Federal Council Statement on Sunday Work in Retail Stores] – https://www.news.admin.ch/de/newnsb/9ypcgg1R7RzJpatwB4UFD

Supplementary Sources:

  1. Swiss Parliament – Matter 23.325: Time-limited Flexibilization of Shop Opening Hours – https://www.parlament.ch/de/ratsbetrieb/suche-curia-vista/geschaeft?AffairId=20230325

Verification Status: ✓ 22.04.2026

This text was created with the support of an AI model. Editorial Responsibility: clarus.news | Fact-Check: 22.04.2026