Social partners across various sectors are issuing guidelines and opinions on the concerns they are dealing with as a result of the Coronavirus outbreak, as well as possible responses.

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Social partners are working together, sometimes across sectors, to explain in a series of texts the concrete problems they are facing as a result of the Coronavirus outbreak, and to indicate how to address these issues. These documents demonstrate the solidarity between the social partners in this critical period. All of these texts are being added to the regularly updated social dialogue texts database.

These suggestions are addressed to companies as well as to political authorities. The proposals concern the period of lockdown as well as the recovery process. Companies are asked to apply stricter hygienic standards and adapt the organisation of work. Among other measures, Member States and Commission are being asked to introduce green lanes for freight transport, to adapt the rules concerning state aid, and introduce schemes for short time working. Several of these requests have been taken up in the Coronavirus response of the Commission.

Background

The COVID-19 outbreak is having an impact on the whole economy. However, the consequences differ very much between sectors. Some sectors, such as restaurants, culture and civil aviation, can provide hardly any services for an extended period. Others, such as supermarkets and healthcare, are faced with increased workloads and the risk of infection.

The effects go far beyond these sectors. The lockdown is also making life more difficult for cross-border workers, such as truck drivers, seasonal workers in agriculture or sailors. Other industries are affected by a collapse of demand or disruptions in the supply chain. No sector of the economy is completely spared.