Labour law in Portugal during the pandemic: main measures and developments

Abstract

Like in many other countries, the COVID-19 pandemic provoked the implementation of several measures in the Portuguese labour regime in order to adjust this new reality and its aftermath. This Article provides an overview of such actions, namely the suspension of employment contracts, the admissibility of absences from work due to COVID-related reasons, the mandatory telework, the new powers of the Portuguese Labour Authority, and the prohibition of dismissals. The impact of the pandemic on the overall Portuguese labour market is also addressed, as well as the most recent changes prompted by the pandemic experience. Therefore, we will provide a panoramic view of the new regime of telework as well as of the newly proclaimed duty of the employer to abstain from contacting the employees outside of the working period.