Collective Bargaining

The government pledged to bridge the digital gender gap by encouraging greater involvement of girls in information and communications technology (ICT) education. The pledge was made in an announcement by the deputy ministry of research, innovation and digital policy to mark the International Girls in ICT Day 2020 celebrated on April 23, and after data showing that Cyprus has the lowest number of girls choosing to study in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (Stem), both in comparison with the number of boys and with the corresponding average of the EU.

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According to a survey conducted by the National Council of Small and Medium Private Enterprises, 57.5% of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) estimate that they will be able to employ all their pre-crisis personnel within three months after they resume operations. Furthermore, 20.4% of the entrepreneurs surveyed estimate that they can reintegrate the personnel at the pre-crisis level within 3-6 months, 8.8% within 6-9 months, and 5.3% within 9-12 months.

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The government unveiled an analysis on the temporary laying off of workers amid the lockdown measures that have been put in place across the country. Entitled the Business Impact of Coronavirus Survey (BICS), the study reveals that between 23 March and 5 April, 27% of the UK workforce was furloughed, while less than 1% of workers were made redundant.

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The EU will provide additional financial support to Member States to protect jobs and workers affected by the coronavirus pandemic. Many businesses are experiencing economic difficulties as a result of the COVID-19 crisis and have had to temporarily suspend or substantially reduce their activities and the working hours of their staff. To support employers and to protect workers and the self-employed from losing their jobs or incomes, the European Commission proposed a new temporary instrument called SURE (Support to mitigate Unemployment Risks in an Emergency), to complement national efforts to protect employment. It is expected to be operational by 1 June 2020.

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About 60% of the 160 companies polled by Mercer Marsh Benefits have already increased wages based on targets agreed for this year, or are about to implement increases. Another quarter, which had decided to raise wages later in the year, are waiting for economic stabilisation. Only 17% of the companies plan to freeze wages this year while 3% are considering cutting wages.

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The ETUC is urging EU leaders to agree and implement, without delay or conditions, proposals to help workers, companies and public services hit by the coronavirus crisis. With over 40 million workers now temporarily or permanently in unemployment since the crisis began, there can be no repeat of the days-long wrangling between Member States’ finance ministers witnessed at the Eurogroup meeting earlier this month.

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The Ministry of Labour announced that it is tweaking the calculation method for coronavirus-related special unemployment and sick leave benefits after recipients complained that payouts were too low. In a statement, the ministry said it has determined that the low sums paid out were due to the normal way of calculating pensionable earnings based on the Social Insurance Law.

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In February, 76.6% of people aged 16 to 64 were in paid work, up from 76.4% in the previous quarter. Unemployment was estimated at 4%, up slightly from the last quarter, the Office for National Statistics announced. However, early estimates for March showed a slight drop in the number of paid employees compared with February. The figures fell by 0.06%, although they were still 0.8% higher than the same period last year.

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The European Commission has approved a €2 billion aid scheme for preserving employment and supporting self-employed individuals affected by the coronavirus outbreak and the emergency measures taken by states. The measure is expected to support the jobs of close to 400,000 employees and 300,000 self-employed persons. Support will be granted to employers affected by emergency state measures, to cover a part of their wage costs and their social security contributions, and to the self-employed and employers affected by lower revenues to partly compensate their reduced revenues.

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The automotive supplier Valeo has announced an agreement with the trade unions on the measures for resumption of activity, in the context of the coronavirus epidemic. The management and the unions have agreed on the modes of deployment of enhanced security measures in order to prepare for the upcoming restart of production activities, suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

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