The bill aimed at extending work on Sundays in France is awaiting further debate in the National Assembly, Luc Chatel, secretary of state for industry and consumer affairs, told Radio Europe 1 yesterday.

"In the second half of January, we must be able to address this issue in the National Assembly," Chatel said.

"It is urgent for 20,000 employees who regularly work on Sundays and are now in doubt for their employment contract," he said.

"We will revise the text (of the bill)," Chatel told Radio Europe 1, adding he would submit to the National Assembly a balanced text taking into account the positions of the government, the president and the parliamentary groups.

According to the bill proposed by President Nicolas Sarkozy weeks ago, French shops will be open on eight Sundays every year, up from five Sundays at present. If passed, the bill will pave the way for French shops, particularly in tourist destinations and large cities, to open on all Sundays.

Sarkozy has promised to have the bill passed in the National Assembly, saying that extending work on Sundays can make the French labor market flexible, encourage consumption and increase purchasing power in an effort to tide over the ongoing global financial crisis.

However, Sarkozy's bill has met strong opposition mainly from his own party, the Union for a Poplar Movement.

Prime Minister Francois Fillon said on Thursday that further debate on the bill would be delayed till next year.