March 3 – European Day for a Work-Free Sunday: Ensure synchronised resting time also in times of competitiveness
On this year’s European Day for a Work-Free Sunday, the Steering Committee members of the European Sunday Alliance reaffirm a necessary commitment to promoting a common weekly day of rest for workers across Europe. Even in times of a competitiveness-based narrative in EU policy making, a synchronised work-free Sunday remains essential for the well-being of individuals and their families – and thereby for the society and the economy as a whole, too.
As digitalisation and telework continue to reshape the world of work, maintaining clear boundaries between professional and private life has never been more crucial. The European Sunday Alliance therefore welcomes the European Commission’s efforts to advance a new EU directive on a right to disconnect and fair telework and hopes for a swift publication of a legislative proposal. This would represent a significant step towards securing healthier working conditions, preventing burnout, and ensuring that all workers can truly switch off from professional obligations outside agreed working hours.
In particular, a common day of disconnection – effectively on Sundays – would help counteract growing trends of fragmentation in working hours. It would allow individuals to rest in sync with their families and communities, fostering social cohesion, voluntary engagement, and cultural and faith-related activities. Common resting time would also step up the quality of resting time (currently often spent by workers alone), which would in the end contribute to higher productivity, creativity, and overall job satisfaction – and thereby benefit both workers and businesses alike.
The Steering Committee members of the European Sunday Alliance strongly urge the European Commission to include specific references to a right to disconnect on weekends in its forthcoming legislative proposal for a directive on a right to disconnect and fair telework. Ensuring that Sunday remains protected from work wherever possible will serve as a vital safeguard for workers’ well-being while strengthening the social fabric of our communities.
On today’s annual European Day for a Work-Free Sunday, the Steering Committee members of the European Sunday Alliance call upon policymakers, employers, and workers to join in recognising and defending the value of a common day of rest – also and especially in times of a shift in policy-making agenda towards economic competitiveness
The European Sunday Alliance is a broad network of more than 100 national Sunday Alliances, trade unions, employers’ organisations, civil society organisations, churches and religious communities committed to raise awareness of the unique value of synchronised free time for our European societies. http://www.europeansundayalliance.eu/
