Covid-19 and Labour Law Measures in Spain: Emergency Rules to deal with a Health, Economic and Employment Crisis

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a great impact in Spain. With the purpose of slowing down the spread of the virus and controlling the situation, the Government declared the state of alarm and imposed restrictions to people’s movement and social contact (including temporary confinement of the population at home). Most economic and working activities were temporarily paralysed, leaving apart those considered ‘essential services’ and other exceptions. With the aim of reducing the economic and social impact of such extraordinary circumstances, protecting workers and allowing to resume working activities after the crisis, the Government approved a package of urgent legislation, including a large list of measures in the area of Labour Law and Social Security: among others, promoting telework; facilitating the adaptation of working time to family care needs; favouring the temporary suspension of employment contracts or the reduction of working time due to force majeure or other grounds related to COVID-19, while dismissals were limited; establishing an extraordinary paid leave for workers of undertakings forced to stop their activity; finally, adapting and enhancing unemployment benefits and other forms of social protection. This paper provides a panoramic explanation on this legislation aiming to face the COVID-19 health, economic and employment crisis.