Newsletter 002

Border Workers in Europe during COVID-19

During the COVID-19 pandemic, border workers in Europe faced unique challenges due to travel restrictions and quarantine measures implemented by different countries. Some of the issues that could have arisen and that could have been the subject of collective bargaining include:

1. Movement restrictions: Border workers may have had difficulty crossing borders due to travel restrictions and mandatory quarantines. Negotiations could have focused on ensuring that these workers could continue to travel to work without problems.

2. Workplace Safety: The pandemic required additional safety measures in the workplace. Collective bargaining could have addressed issues such as the provision of personal protective equipment (PPE), social distancing at work, and access to COVID-19 testing.

3. Teleworking and flexibility : Many frontier workers may have had to adapt to teleworking due to travel restrictions. Negotiations could have covered issues such as compensation for expenses related to teleworking and flexibility in working hours.

4. Job protection and economic support: Border workers may have faced job insecurity due to the pandemic. Collective negotiations could have sought to guarantee job stability and access to economic support measures.

5. Coordination between countries: Since frontier workers often work in one country and reside in another, a coordinated approach between governments and employers may have been necessary to address their needs.

Importantly, the response to the pandemic and specific collective bargaining varied by country and industry. For up-to-date information on notable cases of collective bargaining of frontier workers in Europe during COVID-19, I recommend consulting recent news sources or specific case studies published after the pandemic.