The right to disconnect and the need for a European weekly common day of rest

The Steering Group of the European Sunday Alliance invites you to its

Webinar on “The right to disconnect and the need for
a European weekly common day of rest”

Tuesday 1^st of June 2021 – 13:00-14:00 CEST – via Zoom – in English

Register

The Article 2 of the revised European Social Charter and the Article 31 Charter of Fundamental Rights of the EU state that every worker has the right to just conditions of work, which respect his or her health, safety and dignity, as well as the right to limitation of maximum working time, to daily and weekly rest periods and to an annual period of paid leave.

In its Resolution of 21 January 2021 on the right to disconnect (2019/2181(INL)), the European Parliament highlighted that “constant connectivity combined with high job demands and the rising expectation that workers are reachable at any time can negatively affect workers’ fundamental rights, their work-life balance, and their physical and mental health and well-being”. It called on the Commission to “include the right to disconnect in its New Occupational Safety and Health Strategy” and to propose an act on the right to disconnect, to establish minimum requirements for remote working and clarify working conditions, hours and rest periods.

The right to disconnect is particularly crucial during the weekly period of rest of workers, on the weekend and on Sunday. In addition to be essential for their mental and physical health, it enables them to engage in volunteer, cultural, sport or faith related activities and thus to create social ties. This day of rest needs to be synchronized, as it is a time of social gathering, for families and citizens to spend time together. Overall, the Sunday rest not only benefits the workers’ well-being and the social cohesion within communities, but also supports the global competitiveness of European businesses.

This webinar aims to raise awareness on the need to establish at the EU level a weekly common day of rest for all.

The European Sunday Alliance, coordinated by a Steering Group, 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. Further information:http://www.europeansundayalliance.eu/