Defending Workers' Rights

The Croatian online magazine Zimo looks over to Germany and reports that the German Labour Minister Hubertus Heil has told German media how beneficial it can be to work from home. A known advocate for employees' right to work at home whenever possible, Heil believes that now is the time to legalise remote working and make it a permanent option, even after the pandemic. This is a complicated issue as for some, working from home allows them to save money and time because they no longer have to commute. Employees with small children may, however, lack the ability to produce quality work from home. Historically, employers in Germany have never been big fans of remote working, believing that while the mobile workforce may be necessary at times, the most important thing is to default to operative and customer preference. The article points out how it will be interesting to see if employer organisations will agree with the Minister’s assessment after the crisis is over.

With factories slowly reopening in Italy and on the occasion of Labour Day this week, the Berlin-based and women-led newspaper TAZ runs an article on the fears of an Italian trade unionist who worries that human lives will be put at risk to save the economy. Oriella Savoldi, a trade unionist and activist from  Brescia in Northern Italy, deplores the fact that the Italian government has so far failed to tackle the issue of workers' health and rights since the outbreak of the pandemic. The negotiations on the protection of workers have been ongoing for many days and without an agreement, the factories should not be allowed to open, she says. She also believes that a new approach to factory work is needed. The government has to give factor workers more credit, especially in these challenging times. Italy also needs to start recognising the value and dignity of its migrant workers who are particularly vulnerable and at risk of being exploited during the crisis. Concluding on a positive note, Savoldi says she sees the crisis as a chance to finally give climate protection more attention.

As lockdown restrictions - still in place in many countries - are making the usual Labour Day marches difficult, trade unions and citizens across Europe are coming up with creative solutions to still fight for workers' rights and celebrate their achievements. The Polish city of Katowice will for instance see a parade of several hundreds of cars this Friday, reports Wyborcza.pl. The protest is organised by the owner of a transport company from Tychy and runs under the name ‘Free people’s Labour Day’, with protesters demanding high-quality jobs and decent salaries and complaining that politicians care more about their own political agenda than about the interests of the nation and the working class. However, despite the liberating title of the protest, authorities have said participants will have to respect the rules of social distancing. Protesters will not be allowed to leave their vehicles, will have to wear masks and respect traffic rules. It is estimated that around 1000 people in 500 cars will take part.

The Irish Independent reports how the Irish healthcare system is facing a potential staffing crisis as healthcare workers who have exhausted all other options for childcare at home, can now stay home to care for their children. Many nurses may opt to stay home, leaving hospitals short-staffed. Healthcare workers who stay home will receive their regular pay and allowance. This has been an ongoing problem throughout the crisis as schools and day care centres were shut down last month, leaving around 1000 healthcare workers without proper childcare. The same benefit has also been allotted to other public service workers. Once confirmed, healthcare workers who opt to stay home will be working from home as best they can and will be helping in administrative work and contract tracing. Last week, Taoiseach Leo Varadkar offered partners of healthcare workers in the public sector paid leave in order to provide childcare services but this left many other healthcare workers without a solution.