Covid-19 and labour law in Spain

Abstract

The Covid-19 crisis in Spain has led to the adoption of several pieces of legislation with labour law and social security content. The main priority of this fast-changing and frequently adapted legislation has been to avoid a sharp rise in unemployment. To do so, the legislator facilitated the use of the already existing procedures to temporarily suspend contracts (Expedientes Temporales de Regulación de Empleo) and prohibited certain kinds of dismissals (those based on economic circumstances and force majeure). To further develop a social shield with the ambition to protect the most vulnerable workers and families several measures that can be classified as income support have been adopted.