Digitalization has changed and will continue to influence all aspects of our lives, foremost our working habits. Digitalization creates mobile workers, home offices, flexible working hours, a free choice of a working place and access to e-mails and data from everywhere and at any given time. At the same time, ensuring a good work-life balance becomes increasingly important to employees as well as for the self-employed. The opportunities created by digitalization to re-organize and facilitate daily tasks and procedures and to be independent from compulsory attendance at physical places and at specified times can help to better arrange time to be spent with family and friends. Digitalization holds opportunities but also risks for EU citizens, like increased pressure to perform and to be available, and prolonged and unsocial working hours such as night- and weekend work. In addition, further individualization of working hours reduces synchronized free time such as a work-free weekend and Sundays in particular, which is of paramount importance for citizens, their families and their participation and engagement in society.
By signing this resolution, I, as a Member of the European Parliament, a representative of civil society, trade unions, employer organizations, Churches and others, therefore commit myself to:
1. Support and to take the necessary actions at EU level to ensure, through the adoption, implementation and the proper application of already enshrined fundamental social rights in policies, that the opportunities provided by digitalization will promote a better work-life-balance;
2. Protect workers’ health and safety by promoting EU-legislation which ensures sustainable and decent working hours, the necessary differentiation between working time and free time, the right to a life after and outside of work and the right to be unavailable;
3. Support an EU digital market which balances flexibility and security so that work-life-balance is ensured by decent working hours and a reliable right of unavailability;
4. Promote synchronized free time and a common weekly day of rest for all EU citizens, which shall be in principle a Sunday, in order to enjoy full participation in cultural, sports, social and religious life, to seek cultural enrichment and spiritual well-being, to engage in volunteer work and association activities and to strengthen social cohesion.
