6 July 2020
Negotiations concluded on Friday 3 July with the support of 3 organisations – the FO, CFDT and CFE-CGC (the CGT should decide by Wednesday) – prepared to sign the agreement. The agreement proposes a package of measures to help the aerospace group Safran, which has been heavily impacted by the crisis in the aviation sector, manage the 12,000 jobs in France that it considers to be surplus. These measures range from departure incentives for employees who may leave to movement within the group, as well as wage...
6 July 2020
On 29 June, the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) and the union federations IndustriAll Europe, UNI Europa (services), EFFAT (food, agriculture and tourism), EPSU (public service workers), ETF (transport) and EFBWW (building and woodworkers) published a joint statement calling for greater worker involvement in managing the Covid-19 crisis. The signatories, which underline that “social dialogue, collective bargaining and worker involvement in the workplace are key to shape responsible restructuring...
3 July 2020
Today, on 3 July, representatives of the CEOE and Cepyme employer organisations and of the CCOO and UGT trade unions penned an agreement with Spanish prime minister Pedro Sanchez to “reactivate” the country’s economy and boost jobs. This solemn signing ceremony, which took place in the gardens of the Moncloa Palace, the official residence and workplace of the prime minister, seeks to highlight the importance of the efforts to cultivate dialogue between social partners, in order to find common ground, and...
30 June 2020
Following the initial disruptive impact of the Covid-19 outbreak on production processes, and as a result of the safety measures that were adopted in line with Italy’s national protocol signed in March 2020, a number of multinational companies and trade union bodies have signed ‘Covid-Phase 2’ company agreements to facilitate a ‘return to normality.’
26 June 2020
On 25 June, the Spanish government and social partners reached an agreement on the conditions for extending the short time working arrangements that were implemented when the state of alert was declared in the country and economic activity was paralysed by the Covid-19 pandemic. This second ‘social agreement in defence of employment’ comes after weeks of tense negotiations between Spain’s labour ministry, the CEOE and Cepyme employer confederations, and the CCOO and UGT trade unions. The agreement will be...
25 June 2020
On 24 June, French President, Emmanuel Macron gave a presentation to the social partners outlining the contours of the future short time working provisions that were formulated following a process of social consultations. In addition to the long-term measures already announced as an emergency bill (c.f. article No. 11981), there will be a new common law measure with enhanced protection as compared to that prior to the health crisis, the new arrangements for which will take effect on 1 October, and will replace the...
24 June 2020
Since it can be observed that ‘the health situation is improving significantly’, it is possible ‘to envisage a further easing of activity-related health conditions’ outlined the new protocol published on 24 June (for details of the earlier protocol c.f. article No. 11906). The new protocol provides that except for persons at serious risk of SARS-CoV-2, ‘teleworking is no longer the norm, but remains a solution that is to be favored in the context of a gradual return to physical face-to-face activities,...
24 June 2020
On 22 June, the government announced the imminent end to lockdown arrangements for those most vulnerable (most at risk of suffering from Covid-19). From 06 July those deemed vulnerable to coronavirus will be able to start leaving their homes and will be able to return to their workplaces from 01 August. However, if these employees are able to telework, they should to continue to do so as working from home is still being recommended. Since 21 March, some 2.2 million Britons had been asked to confine themselves on...
24 June 2020
Employers, who would have liked to see this happen sooner, applauded the government announcement on 23 June that it would no longer be recommending telework as of 01 August. The government believes that the July summer holiday period allows for a gradual and flexible transition to normal working conditions.
22 June 2020
In mid-March, at the beginning of lockdown in Greece, which led to the majority of companies in the country closing, the government decided to grant an allowance of €800, paid from April onwards, to all workers whose contracts were not renewed or who were placed on partial unemployment. The Greek state also committed to providing such workers with social security cover for sickness and retirement and to pay their social security contributions (see article n°11734). Given the impact of the lockdown, the Greek government has extended some of these measures, particularly for the tourism, culture and sports sectors, which are still being...
