Work Slow Down

Workers in several hypermarket chain stores staged a go-slow across Poland Thursday in protest at having to work on Sundays and public holidays, a Solidarity trade union spokesman confirmed.

Thursday is a public holiday in Poland marking the Roman Catholic feast of Corpus Christi.

Workers and Solidarity union members intent on forcing retailers to close shop on public holidays were serving customers at a snail's pace Thursday.

Solidarity union officials noted several hypermarket chains had shut down for the Corpus Christi holiday, while others offered double wages to their employees to work on the holiday.

The union is lobbying parliament to pass legislation banning retail stores from operating on 12 annual public holidays.