In the corona pandemic, Sunday work could become the norm, the union fears.
The Christian trade unionist faction in the GPA moves out to “defend the Sundays and Holidays”. Work on Sunday should not become normal.
Short-time work, home office, closed companies or companies that are completely overloaded – the corona pandemic not only causes extremely high unemployment, but also completely shakes the everyday life of workers. Now the group of Christian trade unionists in the union GPA (FCG / GPA) is sounding the alarm and, as they say, “defending the Sundays and Holidays” in the country.
“Especially in times of Corona, when the psychological stress on people increases and the week loses its structure, Sunday is all the more valuable to give people a rhythm,” said Wolfgang Pischinger, Federal Chairman of the FCG / GPA. Franz Gosch, Federal Managing Director of the FCG in the GPA trade union, agrees: “It is not easy to spend your free time with others even in Corona times due to the restrictions that are necessary to control the pandemic.”
This is precisely why the importance of families and friends increased in times of crisis. “A reason to keep the free Sunday as a common day,” the group said in a broadcast. Models like home office do offer a new level of flexibility, according to Gosch, “which has many advantages, but can also be dangerous to the detriment of the work-life balance. To strengthen this, too, a day off together is more important than ever.”
The pandemic has been wrestling a lot from people for a year. “For many, the strain is almost unbearable. People need Sunday to breathe deeply,” said the group. That is why the “Alliance for the Free Sunday” wants to fight. It is a “colorful alliance of churches, trade unions and civil society organizations that was launched 20 years ago”.
