Lucia Kováčová, Martin Guzi and Martin Kahanec co-authored the chapter in the book critically exploring how social partners have been involved in designing and adopting job preservation policies responding to the COVID-19 economic crisis in five CEE countries: Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Poland, Romania, and Slovakia.

Lucia Kováčová, Martin Guzi and Martin Kahanec co-authored the chapter in the book critically exploring how social partners have been involved in designing and adopting job preservation policies responding to the COVID-19 economic crisis in five CEE countries: Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Poland, Romania, and Slovakia.

Find the book here: https://www.taylorfrancis.com/chapters/edit/10.4324/9781003326779-9/preserving-jobs-covid-19-times-cee-countries-vassil-kirov-lucia-kov%C3%A1%C4%8Dov%C3%A1-martin-guzi-jan-czarzasty-drago%C8%99-ad%C4%83sc%C4%83li%C8%9Bei-martin-kahanec

Abstract:

Eleven Central and Eastern European (CEE) countries joined the European Union in 2004, 2007 and 2013. During the COVID-19 pandemic, social partners in CEE have been active in efforts to mitigate the negative consequences of the economic downturn; however, evidence on the scope, scale, and effects of their roles in shaping policy responses to the pandemic remains scant. This chapter provides early evidence on the role of social partners in shaping job preservation policies, focusing on three main types: short-time working arrangements; wage subsidies; and flexible work arrangements. It presents the main characteristics of the industrial relations systems and main social partners are five CEE countries: Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Poland, Romania, and Slovakia. Since the COVID-19 outbreak, social partners in Bulgaria have engaged in an intensive social dialogue leading to national-level agreements and have actively taken part in the formulation of job preservation measures.