ILO-ILERA Seminar: Researching work in and after the pandemic

Chair: Prof Rae Cooper, AO (University of Sydney and President Elect ILERA)

Presentation 1: Prof Mia Rönnmar (Lund University)

Abstract: Collective bargaining and working conditions in Sweden and the EU in and after the COVID-19 pandemic: the example of the care sector.

This presentation will focus on Swedish labour law and industrial relations, including the example of the care sector, and discuss the role of collective bargaining and social partners in setting working conditions and addressing job quality and other critical issues in and after the COVID-19 pandemic. It draws on recent and current comparative European research on decentralised collective bargaining, care workers, and older workers.

Presentation 2: A/Prof Chris F Wright (University of Sydney) and Prof Colm McLaughlin (University College Dublin)

Abstract: Social dialogue and job retention policy reform in response to COVID: The triumph of pragmatism over ideology

This presentation will discuss examines how institutions and ideologies influenced policy decisions to adopt and extend job retention schemes during the COVID pandemic and recession. It draws on 80 interviews with government, employer and union representatives conducted for a comparative study of the labour market policy responses to the COVID crisis in Australia, Denmark, Ireland, Italy and the United Kingdom. The findings are important for understanding the efficacy of policy responses to and institutional support available during future crises and disasters including those relating to climate change.

Presentation 3: Prof Clare Kelliher (Cranfield University)

Abstract: The COVID-19 “Flexible furlough’ scheme - Use and implications for flexible working

The UK ‘flexible furlough’ scheme introduced during the Covid-19 pandemic provided financial assistance to employers who brought staff back to work on a part-time basis as businesses re-opened and started to recover. Having significant numbers of staff work part-time was a new experience for many employers which created an opportunity to learn about managing staff in different ways, potentially influencing their approaches in the future. Findings from a research project examining employers’ experiences of using the flexible furlough scheme will be discussed showing that, particularly for employers without much experience of managing part-time workers previously, there were significant learnings about how to design and manage part-time working more effectively and greater openness from managers to part-working in the future. The consequences of these findings will be discussed in the context the longstanding, unmet demand for part-time working in quality jobs and the need for greater availability of part-time working to allow for wider participation in paid employment for those unwilling or unable to work full-time.

Presentation 4: Janine Berg (ILO)

Abstract: The Value of Essential Work

Despite carrying out activities that are indispensable to the functioning of societies – producing, distributing and selling food, cleaning, ensuring public security, transporting essential goods and workers, and caring for and healing the ill – many “essential” or “key” workers lack decent working conditions. The ILO 2023 flagship report, the Value of Essential Work, documents how key employees earn, on average, 26 per cent less than non-key workers, and one in three is considered low paid. Overall, key workers have lower rates of unionization, higher incidence of temporary contracts, long and irregular hours, and less access to training. They are also more exposed to physical and biological hazards as well as psychosocial risks – risks that were heightened during the COVID-19 pandemic. Many key workers also lack social protection coverage, particularly in low-income countries. The report calls for a revaluation of “essential” or “key” work and greater investment in key sectors to reflect its vital contribution to society.