The European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC), on Tuesday 2 June, called for the right to disconnect to be enforced under a 2002 agreement with employers on the regulation of remote work.
With the Covid-19 pandemic, around 40% of employees in Europe now work from home, according to a recent analysis by Eurofound, the European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions. This trend is unlikely to abate due to the rules of social distancing that will be put into place in the coming weeks and months, the Confederation reiterates.
However, according to the study, employers tend to demand even more availability from these workers, who tend to work much more than they do at their workplace: twice as likely to work 48 hours or more than workers in a company setting and six times as likely to work during their free time. In addition, the study shows that those working from home suffer more from night-time disorders.
For trade unions, it is crucial that remote workers enjoy the same working conditions as during normal working hours. The required performance must remain the same as that applied on company premises. Above all, they call for the respect of privacy and the right to disconnect, as well as for not “isolating” the remote worker from other workers.
In the European Parliament, the issue is also gaining ground with Covid-19. During a debate with the Commissioner for Employment and Social Rights, Nicolas Schmit, the Spaniard, Jordi Cañas (Renew Europe), had suggested creating a new European framework for remote work, in light of the abuses that are taking place with the health crisis (see EUROPE 12493/4). (Original version in French by Pascal Hansens)