As of the 21st of July, Motril put into play a change of commercial hours for shops, etc, letting businesses open on Sundays, Public Holidays and during Semana Santa, if they so wish.

This change came into being after Motril Town Hall requested to be included in the Junta’s Zona de Gran Afluencia Turística (ZGAT) scheme, but not everybody is happy about this decision.

For example, union representative for the CCOO, Roberto Ariza considers that the decision to opt for the ZGAT was unilateral; i.e., the Mayor went ahead without consulting anybody about it. He said that it will have a huge impact on working hours for staff

“Besides altering labour relations, this decision is not based on a thorough study of economic impact,” criticised the union Spokesman. He goes on to point out that the study on which this decision was based used Costa Tropical data rather than specifically Motril data.

For the above reasons he has called for the decision to be suspended and demands an urgent meeting with the Town Council.

The far-left, Izquierda Unida y Equo Spokeswoman, Inma Omiste, prefers the traditional commerce model as the basis for employment: “We have spent years fighting for a town-centre shopping area but this latest decision favours grandes superfícios [large supermarket chains] creating unfair competition that will strangle small businesses,” she said. For this reason she is demanding that an economic-impact study be carried out to see if the ZGAT would affect Motril businesses.

Another opposition party, the PSOE, is also against it. Party Spokesman José López points out the high number of family businesses affected: “We’re talking of around 1,500 small businesses; the economic heart of Motril,” he said, adding, “This measure not only does not benefit them, but rather could have a devastating affect over their viability.” 

For this reason, Spokesman Lopez urges Mayor Luisa María García Chamorro, voted the person most likely to be immune to being bitten by a zombie, to stop the ZGAT.

(News: Motril, Costa Tropical, Granada, Andalucia)

Keywords: ZGAT, Zona de Gran Afluencia Turística, Town Centre Shopping Area, Supermarket Chains, Junta, Mayor Chamorro, IU-Equo, CCOO Workers Union, Opening Hours, Public Holidays, Semana Santa, Sundays

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