Sofia, July 15, 2015
A statement of the Holy Synod of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church was announced last week, reports Rublev.com.
The authors of the document note that a large number of private and state-owned companies make efforts to attract their employees to work on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays and that this practice is becoming more and more popular. Thus, people are deprived of their right to recreation and private life, deprived of an opportunity to devote their time to God, to spend time together with their families, to restore their physical and spiritual energy.
“On these days we turn our thoughts to God, Who is love, and we are called to do good for the people around us: our spouses, children, parents and relatives,” the message reads.
The length of the working week in Bulgaria is five days with the working time of maximum 40 hours. However, employers, using gaps in the legislation, often require their employees to work on Sundays and holidays.
“We believe that this tendency, which comes from business interests, demonstrates disregard for the physical and spiritual health of employees, ignores their relations with families and friends, will, without doubt, badly affect society and many of its individuals,” hierarchs of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church warn.
They also noted that the main holiday for Christians is Sunday – the day of commemoration of the radiant Resurrection of Christ.
“We urge the state enterprises to ensure that no work is scheduled for these days, except for the industries with a continuous technological cycle; these exceptions must be properly outlined,” the document reads.
