SUPPORTING PEOPLE IN PRECARIOUS WORK The Business and Human Rights Resource Centre maintains that COVID-19 highlights a lack of social protections for ‘gig economy’ workers. The evidence gathered by FRA shows that workers in precarious employment situations are often ineligible for the benefit and compensation schemes governments offer following the employment restrictions in place during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, several Member States have implemented measures to support such workers. The Wallonian Government in Belgium announced 23 million euros in support for the domestic cleaning sector (composed of 140,000 workers, with a large number of women, working on a part-time basis). The Spanish government has also introduced special benefits for domestic workers affected by the economic crisis.259 Other Member States have taken steps to include precarious workers in benefit schemes. In the Netherlands, temporary workers and people with zero-hour contracts are included in an emergency scheme allowing companies expecting a 20% loss of turnover to apply for a salary contribution for a period of three months to pay employees.260 In Italy, self-employed workers and people with other types of precarious contracts are entitled to a one-off payment of € 600 for the month of March under a package to support people suffering financially from the Coronavirus pandemic. 261 for the self-employed.90 People placed in quarantine in Finland will receive an infectious diseases sickness allowance.91 The payment is also available for parents or guardians of children under 16 who are placed in quarantine, preventing caregivers from going to work. Similarly, persons in Croatia unable to work due to being placed in quarantine have the right to compensation of their salary.92 However, the General Workers’ Union in Malta reported complaints from workers sent home to quarantine who had been informed that this would be unpaid or deducted from their vacation or sick leave allowances.93 1.3.2 Fair and just working conditions Working from home is not possible for many employees, including those classified as ‘essential workers’ providing key services during the pandemic. Most Member States have developed lists of such workers, which typically include those working for the emergency services, health and social care, and the production and distribution of food. Additional pressures on these sectors have prompted a number of Member States to relax or suspend restrictions on working time, with potential consequences for the right to fair and just working conditions. For example, a decree in Italy suspended the limits for medical staff, while legislation in Bulgaria suspended restrictions on overtime work for part-time employees and civil servants providing or assisting in the provision of medical assistance, police and fire safety authorities.94 Portugal has restricted leave for health professionals.95 Reflecting the significant extra burden, the Latvian government announced that frontline health staff will receive a 50% pay rise in March and a wider range of staff will receive an additional 20% in April and May.96 Reports also emerged in many Member States of employers not heeding government instructions to contain the virus. For example, the Slovenian Labour Inspectorate received a number of complaints about employers either failing to implement measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19 or only doing so partially or ineffectively prompting it to embark on stricter supervision.97 Similarly, an online platform set up by the General Confederation of Greek Workers has received a large number of complaints, mostly concerning employers not granting special purpose leave to their employees, businesses converting full-time contracts to part-time or granting unpaid leave instead, businesses remaining open, non-adoption of decontamination measures, and exceeding the maximum working hours in the supermarket industry. 98 21