Hundreds of members of the Evangelical Churches, the Old Catholic Church, and the Methodist Church took part in a large rally in the center of Vienna at noon on Friday, protesting against the abolition the public holiday on Good Friday.
The Austrian government has decided to abolish Good Friday as a public holiday last February.
Large demonstrations such as the one in Vienna were held today in parishes of the Churches and in the other eight federated states of Austria, while church bells rung to protest for many hours in many cities in Austria at 15:00 (local time).
In their speeches at the rally in Vienna, the representatives of the three Churches, who have already announced that in May they will appeal to the Austrian Constitutional Court against the government decision, they stressed the importance of Good Friday, while at the same time heavily criticising the government.
The new law stipulates that every employee has the right to decide one’s “personal day”, which will be considered as a public holiday, and will be deducted from each person’s holiday allowance. The employees must give three months’ notice of their personal day and, under no circumstances, there will be no extra day of leave.
SOURCE: ANA-MPA
