Boxing Day opening divides

Plans by discount designer outlet mall McArthurGlen Athens to open on Boxing Day, December 26, when stores in Greece traditionally remain closed, have drawn an angry response even before being officially announced.

Unions are speaking about a "labor jungle," and it is possible they will stage protest rallies against the plan. Retail commerce professionals estimate, however, that if McArthurGlen Athens does decide to operate the day after Christmas, it is possible other enterprises will follow.

The Center of Athens Labor Unions (EKA) said in a statement on Friday that it has been informed in complaints by dozens of employees that McArthurGlen Athens intends to open on December 26.

Sources confirm that stores in the mall at Spata have already informed their employees about the possibility of working on Boxing Day.

Kathimerini contacted McArthurGlen but it...