Speaking to journalists in the Assembly of the Republic, PCP MP Alfredo Maia stressed that the purpose of the bill is to ensure that workers’ “fundamental right” to rest and to spend time with their families is preserved.

“We frequently visit and contact workers, particularly in shopping centres, who often tell us: ‘I haven’t seen my son for a week’ or ‘I haven’t seen my husband awake for a week’, because these workers often work shifts, sometimes at night,” he said.

To respond to this situation, the PCP proposes closing all businesses in general, and shopping centres in particular, on Sundays and public holidays, and closing at 10 p.m. on weekdays.

The deputy stressed that there are services that are not covered by this measure, such as restaurants, pharmacies, theatres, or cinemas.

In the bill, the PCP provides that establishments open to the public at gas stations, bus, train, air, or sea stations may remain open 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Restaurants, cafes, breweries, snack bars, or self-service restaurants may remain open until 2 a.m. every day of the week, as may convenience stores, while “nightlife establishments,” such as nightclubs, must close by 4 a.m.

The party also admits that there may be a differentiation in opening hours based on “specific conditions”, such as traditional or cultural festivals or bathing areas, which allow “responding to specific local characteristics and constraints”.

Regarding the opening hours of businesses, the PCP believes that this decision should be made by the municipalities, with the exception of establishments subject to licensing authorization provided by the Regional Coordination and Development Commissions (CCDR), after consulting with unions, employers’ and consumers’ associations.

Asked whether he is not concerned that these closures could have an impact on workers’ salaries, Alfredo Maia said that the problem of salaries “cannot be solved with the so-called compensation for work on Sundays”.

“It can be solved, however, by increasing the salaries of these workers. It is important to highlight that a good part, if not the majority, of the workers in this sector are earning the minimum wage, or close to it”, he stressed.