BRUSSELS – Bakery chain Aernoudt from Ghent is asking customers to sign a petition in protest of the law requiring bakers and other independent businesses to close one day a week.  Aernoudt has eight shops in and around Ghent, employs 70 workers, and has been opening seven days a week for the past two years.

Aernoudt has repeatedly had visits from the economic inspectorate, which has filed reports against the baker 12 times for disobeying the law on shop opening hours.

On 24 January the court ordered that the baker pay a fine of 4,400 euro for the violations. Business manager Luc De Corte is appealing the decision, but will probably not get the ruling reversed, says his lawyer Dirk De Meulemeester. “At most he might be relieved from paying the fine”, says De Meulemeester.

The determined baker now has the support of the Liberal Association of Independent Businesses (LVZ) and Flemish Liberal Democrat (VLD) politician Bart Tommelein. He hopes a petition will reopen the debate on opening hours for independent and small and medium-sized businesses.

[Copyright Expatica 2007]

Subject: Belgian news