The EUROsociAL+ European Union programme, with the coordination of the Social Policies area at IILA, co-organised a cycle of webinars with the International Labour Organization (ILO) and the Ministry of Labour, Employment, and Social Security of Argentina where how countries prepare for the gradual and selective exit from lockdown in different professional sectors was analysed against the backdrop of Covid-19.
In the event on the construction industry representatives of government organisations, workers, employers, and academics from Argentina, Chile, Uruguay, and Italy participated, analysing the main measures adopted by these countries to combat Covid-19 with respect to work-related issues, the role of social dialogue and the sectoral agreements that have marked the strategies for the return to economic activity.
In particular, the meeting set out to analyse the specific features that distinguish the construction sector and the measures being adopted in the field of occupational safety and health, which might serve as benchmarks for other countries and economic sectors. Highlighted during the meeting were the importance of joint learning and international cooperation and collaboration, all of which will help progress to be made in the implementation of measures to mitigate and subsequently recover from the crisis.
This webinar was the first in a series in which the response by the Southern Cone countries’ employment sectors to Covid-19 and the measures the countries are taking to maintain health and safety in the workplace as the economy restarts will be analysed.