The minimarket law proposed by UTJ and Shas keeps meeting new challenges making it difficult to pass. Despite the challenges, they plan to bring it to vote today. By the time you read this it might already have passed, or maybe even failed - considering the majority supporting it is extremely thin.

MK Miki Rozenthal (Hamachane Hatzioni) has proposed a separate law in an attempt to minimize the work done on Shabbos.

The banner of keeping Shabbos as a day off of work is one that really should be the Left-leaning parties in Israel. They should wave this banner from the social perspective they hold dear - turning Israel into a 7 day workforce is bad for society, in general, and will hurt many small business owners who want the day off but cannot close once a week and continue to compete against the larger chains that will stay open. As well, employees who will be pressured to give up their day off and work need the protection.

In addition to the Left waving this banner from a social perspective, the Right would be waving the banner from the Jewish-character/chilul shabbos perspective.

Between the two sides that should both be supporting this, each for its own reason, a law minimizing, or banning, commerce on Shabbos should be easy to pass. Yet it seems to not be.

So MK Rozenthal has proposed a law that would require employers to pay employees 300% salary for work done on Shabbos. In addition, employees would not be compensated for work on Shabbos with an alternate day off during the week.

It seems, the theory is, employees will gladly give up their Shabbos day off for the increased salary, knowing they will get a different day off instead. Work on Saturday for 200% salary instead of on Tuesday is a no-brainer for many. But if you don't get the other day off and have to work 7 days a week instead? That might make an employee think twice, or even three times, before agreeing.

So, the employers are to be dissuaded with having to pay triple salary, while the employees are to be dissuaded by having to work 7 days a week.
source: Kikar

I like the idea in theory, but I am not convinced it will work. The law that requires payment of 200% has not been found to be overly effective in curtailing Shabbos employment. I don't know that any studies were done to decide that 300% is the sweet spot at which employers will no longer consider it worthwhile, or if it is just a trial and error type thing. Maybe in a few years we'll have another law proposal proposing wages of 400% or 500%.

At this point in time how can we not give an honorable mention to Buig Gedaliah Goomper.... double, double triple pay, ain't gonna work on Saturday!