A conference whose aim was to relaunch the protection of a work-free Sunday debate at European level (see www.comece.org) was held on Wednesday the March 24, 2010 in Brussells.
ARLP has posted a story on their website along with a video of the keynote address.
Here are some of the reasons for the conference:
Purpose of Conference
The promotion of the first European Free Sunday Alliance by way of a five pronged appeal:
i. The establishment of a common weekly rest day for the improvement of social cohesion through the following: protection of workers’ health, the reconciliation of work and family and the preservation of the life of civil society.
ii. To call upon the Heads of State and Government of the 27 EU Member States, to firmly ‘resist the growing economic pressure to liberalise the laws providing for a work-free Sunday and to commit themselves to safeguard and promote a work-free Sunday as a pillar of the European Social Model within the laws of their respective nations.’
iii. To the European Commission to reinforce the European Social Model by harmonising EU legislation and internal market rules to ‘guarantee the central place of a work-free Sunday in the life of workers and of society and to guarantee that no new pressure is placed on the principle of a work-free Sunday’.
iv. To the Members of the ‘European Parliament to ensure that all relevant EU legislation both respects and promotes the protection of Sunday as a weekly day of rest for all EU citizens’.
v. To all ‘European citizens to sign a future Citizens’ Initiative to be expressed in favour of the protection of a work-free Sunday’.
From Protection of a Work-free Sunday: Call for a Work-Free Sunday booklet, pp. 1-2