The Guardian (11.11.2020) Ballot measure exempting ride-sharing companies from treating drivers as employees could serve as model for future laws
bbc.com (07.11.2020) As part of the announcement of month-long restrictions in England, including the closure of pubs, restaurants, gyms and non-essential shops, furlough was initially extended until December. But Chancellor Rishi Sunak has now said it will run until the end of March, although the government will review the policy in January.
yahoo.com (04.11.2020) The policy will go into effect in 2024 and will give workers 12 weeks of paid leave that will be funded through a payroll tax. An additional 4 weeks of leave would be available to parents who experience pregnancy or childbirth complications. An estimated 2.6 million Colorado workers will have access to leave, according to the campaign’s website. Self-employed workers will be eligible, too. Workers will get up to 90% of their pay during their leave, up to the maximum weekly benefit of $1,100 that will be adjusted based on the state average weekly wage.
British Politics and Policy at LSE (03.11.2020) Jonathan Wadsworth explains why the furlough scheme seems to have done its job in preventing mass layoffs, as well as other reasons why the total entering unemployment is still much lower than in the 2008-2011 downturn.
VOX, CEPR Policy Portal (04.11.2020) While few groups have weathered the Covid-19 crisis unscathed, recent evidence suggests that the damage has been especially extreme among the economically vulnerable. This column evaluates changing attitudes towards welfare spending as a result of the pandemic. The findings suggest that people living in areas most severely hit by the crisis are increasingly supportive of long-term reforms to the welfare system.
lemonde.fr (23.10.2020) Cette mesure d’urgence pourrait se pérenniser et inspirer d’autres programmes de revenu universel sur le continent. 8-5-5… Trois chiffres qui ont permis aux vendeuses de rue de Lomé, aux couturières ou aux cuisinières de continuer à nourrir leurs enfants au plus fort de la pandémie de Covid-19. En composant ce numéro sur leur téléphone mobile, ces femmes, dont l’activité informelle a disparu à cause de la crise, ont pu bénéficier d’un revenu minimum.
The Washington Post (05.11.2020) Gig economy workers were pushed to the brink. It led to a historic confrontation over the future of the business model. The state ballot measure, Proposition 22, will make drivers independent contractors according to California law. That supersedes a new law, known as A.B. 5, intended to grant drivers full employment, including minimum wage protections, health care and such benefits as unemployment and sick leave.
Federal Public Service Employment, Labor and Social Dialogue (30.10.2020). The law of 23 October 2020 extends, as October 1st, to salaried workers the benefit of the temporary unemployment scheme for force majeure due to corona in the event of the closure of the school, daycare or reception center for disabled people of their child introduced.
