Citing figures published by the European Union's statistical office (EUROSTAT), Petir said that as many 36.7% of employees in Croatia work on Sundays, whereas the EU average is a quarter (25%).
In Croatia 8.3% of the population in employment works on Sundays, and 28.3% works on Sundays occasionally, Petir said at a round table discussion in Zagreb on Monday.
Davorko Vidovic, a representative of the Croatian Chamber of Commerce and a former SDP labour minister, retorted that Petir misinterpreted figures about 36.7% of Croatian employees working on Sundays.
Vidovic explained that 200,000 Croatians were employed in the retail sector that was most frequently in the focus of discussions on Sunday work, and that that is 13.8% of all employees in the country. In order to achieve 36.7% it is necessary to find 22% of other employees working on Sundays, Vidovic said in his argument that 36.7% was incorrect data.
According to a survey whose findings were presented by Petir, as many as 90% of the Croatians are in favour of a ban on Sunday work in shops.
The survey conducted among 1,005 respondents shows that 53% go shopping on Sunday while 47% don't. Those who go shopping say they only occasionally shop on Sundays and 14% go shopping regularly on Sunday.
The most frequent reason for shopping on Sunday is to buy fresh bread.
Mladen Malta of the Croatian Chamber of Crafts warned about the consequences of a possible ban on Sunday work.
Labour Ministry's official Josipa Klisanin said that the ministry was seeking the best model to regulate Sunday work.