On September 4, 2006 (Labour Day) the cruise ship Amsterdam will be in our port. The ship will be arriving in St. John’s at 8:00 am and departing at 7:00 pm and it has the following itinerary: Copenhagen, Oslo, Kristiansand, Bergen, Torshavn, Akureyri, Isafjordur, Reykjavik, Qaqortog, St. Anthony, St. John’s, New York. The ship will be carrying 1300 passengers and 700 crew.

Labour Day is a shops closing holiday as outlined in the Shops Closing Act. There are, however, exempt shops that are allowed to open (see below):
(a) art galleries;
(b) automatic laundries;
(c) neighbourhood convenience stores;
(d) bookshops;
(e) newsstands;
(f) motor vehicle service stations;
(g) vehicle rental outlets;
(h) restaurants and food take-outs;
(i) video rental outlets;
(j) drug stores;
(k) shops where the primary and most substantial business relates to the sale of fresh fruit, flowers, vegetables, plants or gardening supplies;

(l) shops where the primary and most substantial business relates to souvenirs or to crafts;

(m) music shops where the primary and most substantial business relates to the sale of recorded music such as records, compact disks and taped music; and

(n) gift stores in hospitals or in an institution or facility which is under the management and control of a hospital board.

If you are unsure if you are permitted to open on September 4, please call the Labour Standards office at 729-2742 or 729-2743. There are fines for defying the act, so you will want to confirm that you are eligible to be open. In addition, employees who work on this day are entitled a double-time rate of pay.

If you do intend to open on this day, please contact the DDC office (726-8244) by August 28, 2006. We are compiling a list shops, restaurants, and bars that will be open and it will be forwarded on to the Amsterdam’s passengers.