Sunday, December 11, 2011

Churches and DGB Trade Union urge for better Sunday protection in NRW region

(Below you have a Google Translate version of a German article)

DGB North Rhine-Westphalia

087 AM - 25/11/2011

DGB NRW: Churches and DGB urge for better protection for Sunday NRW

Shop Opening Act

Prior to the advent Sundays are speaking churches in North Rhine-Westphalia and the German Federation of Trade Unions District of North Rhine-Westphalia for a substantial revision of the North Rhine-Westphalia shop opening law. The law has led to a drastic erosion of Sunday and holiday protection. The existing law on Sunday and holidays recognized by the state would not adequately protected, criticizing churches and DGB five years after enactment.

Especially in the larger cities, the law for an accumulation of days open for sale has caused. There can be opened at each different Sundays and public holidays outlets in various parts of the city.Churches and DGB were in favor, refer to the release of four shops are open days a year to the total area of ​​a municipality and not to individual neighborhoods.

"Sunday is a healing break the week and thus the antithesis to the commodification of all life," said the president of the Evangelical Church in Rhineland, Dr. hc Nikolaus Schneider. "The upcoming season of Advent teaches us that life is about more than consumption and the growth of money. On Sundays and public holidays, the man comes to rest and reflection, he may just be human. "

According to Dr. Henry Bishop of Aachen Mussinghoff is on Sundays and public holiday protection is a sign against the culture of commercialization and fragmentation of our society and families as well as the single focus on the human services, production and capital. "Sundays and holidays break through everyday life with its beneficial professionally and socially determined roles and positions," said Mussinghoff.

The chairman of the DGB NRW, Andreas Meyer-Lauber, calls for a stronger regulation of shop opening times in total: "A shop opening 'round the clock' as it is from Monday till Friday, resulting from the union viewpoint to intolerable working conditions and a variety of social, mental and economic problems. Necessary, therefore, a departure from the 24-hour rule, the employee must be protected from these pressures. "

For the protection of Sunday is considered by the churches and the DGB and the limitation of working hours on Saturday. The store opening times on Saturday should be reduced to 18 clock. In addition, a limit which is working on days before holidays stimulated.

As the evaluation submitted by the state government report shows, are reported from many violations of the provisions of the municipalities Lög NRW. There is a need to assess the churches and the DGB clear rules, particularly for Sunday and holiday protection to the excluded points of sale, and to define the allowed range of goods.

Note to editors: This press release is from the participating churches and DGB-time and sent the same text. Potential duplication of delivery, we apologize for.


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