To alleviate the impacts of COVID-19 policies, many initiatives have been developed by civil society organisations – NGOs, local governments, or citizens. A team of national researchers from the RESISTIRÉ project has collected and highlighted a set of particularly relevant initiatives in 27 European countries and in Iceland, Serbia, the United Kingdom and Turkey. These Better Stories cover eight specific domains: gender-based violence, the labour market, the economy, gender-pay and pension gaps, gender care gaps, decision-making and politics, environmental justice, human and fundamental rights.

This Better Story was collected by Nathalie Wuiame

Offering care after school

The Relay houses (maisons relais) are operated by municipalities alone or with the support of facility managers from CSOs (in this case, the Red Cross). Their primary objective is to provide parents with the option to work by offering care after school hours or during closures. These houses offer temporary socio-educational care for children and young people under 18 outside regular school hours. They primarily cater to families residing in the municipality or children attending school there.

Expanding the support to all professions

However, the availability of Maisons Relais services is not uniform across all communities. The range of services provided, including opening hours and offerings, can differ based on the municipality. Typically, these facilities operate from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. During the second and third lockdowns in Luxembourg, there was a critical need to establish childcare options for essential workers, particularly those in hospital settings. As a result, the state enlisted major facility managers (such as Caritas, Croix-Rouge, Arcus, Elisabeth) and prominent municipalities (including Luxembourg and Esch-sur-Alzette) to collaboratively set up emergency structures to support parents working in hospitals. Initially, this assistance was limited to doctors and nurses, but it was subsequently expanded to encompass all professions with key roles in hospitals, including cleaners and logistics personnel.

Image by CDC from Unsplash

Find out more about the initiative

To alleviate the impacts of COVID-19 policies, many initiatives have been developed by civil society organisations – NGOs, local governments, or citizens. A team of national researchers from the RESISTIRÉ project has collected and highlighted a set of particularly relevant initiatives in 27 European countries and in Iceland, Serbia, the United Kingdom and Turkey. These Better Stories cover eight specific domains: gender-based violence, the labour market, the economy, gender-pay and pension gaps, gender care gaps, decision-making and politics, environmental justice, human and fundamental rights.

This Better Story was collected by Elisabeth Anna Guenther and Annika Martin.

What is IG24?

The Interessengemeinschaft der 24-Stunden-Betreuer_innen (IG24) is a self-organised, non-partisan association which aims to represent the interests of migrant live-in caregivers in Austria.

The initiative is born out of the collaboration of Iniciativa24, the association of Slovakian carers, and DREPT, the association of Romanian carers. As an umbrella organisation, it supports bottom up, self-organised initiatives of caregivers.

A wide range of activities

IG24 offers legal counselling for carers in their mother tongue and engages in community building, networking activities and lobbying.

This interest group lobbies for live-in caregivers as a professional group. As they are considered self-employed, migrant carers often lack autonomy and are dependent on agencies, which act as an intermediate between care recipients in Austria and caregivers.

The group recently filed a legal case to fight bogus self-employment; it remains to be seen if the court will indeed take on it and open a case.

Currently, IG24 has two specific projects running:

• one project establishing digital counselling and information videos in the language spoken by many migrant live0in carers
• the second one in collaboration with LEFO-IBF titled ‘care4care’; this project focusses on how to improve the working situation for live-in caregivers and their working rights.

Find out more about the initiative

Photo by Dominik Lange on Unsplash

To alleviate the impacts of COVID-19 policies, many initiatives have been developed by civil society organisations – NGOs, local governments, or citizens. A team of national researchers from the RESISTIRÉ project has collected and highlighted a set of particularly relevant initiatives in 27 European countries and in Iceland, Serbia, the United Kingdom and Turkey. These Better Stories currently cover eight specific domains: gender-based violence, the labour market, the economy, gender-pay and pension gaps, gender care gaps, decision-making and politics, environmental justice, human and fundamental rights.

This Better Story has been collected by Igor Živković.

On 26 January 2021, the National Labour Council (NAR) concluded a national interprofessional collective agreement on teleworking during the COVID-19 crisis, which provides a clear framework for the minimum arrangements to be made at company level.

This was done to safeguard the rights of teleworkers. The new collective agreement applies to government-recommended or compulsory teleworking to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. 

The agreement mainly aims at forcing companies that do not yet have a solid framework for telework to make agreements on this issue now. It was agreed upon until 31 December 2021.

The principles of the agreement are related to: 

• Terms of employment
  The provision of equipment and technical support; the use of own equipment and the reimbursement or payment by the employer of related costs.

• Organisation of employment
  The teleworker organises his/her own work, while respecting the agreed working hours.
  

• Control
  The employer shall exercise control over the work of his employees in an appropriate and proportionate manner.

• Collective rights
  Teleworkers have the same collective rights as when they work at the company site.

• Wellbeing at work
  The teleworkers are informed about the company’s policy on well-being at work specifically related to telework. The employer must ensure that the teleworkers are connected to their colleagues and the company, with specific attention to vulnerable teleworkers.

Find out more about this Better Story

To alleviate the impacts of COVID-19 policies, many initiatives have been developed by civil society organisations – NGOs, local governments, or citizens. A team of national researchers from the RESISTIRÉ project has collected and highlighted a set of particularly relevant initiatives in 27 European countries and in Iceland, Serbia, the United Kingdom and Turkey. These Better Stories currently cover eight specific domains: gender-based violence, the labour market, the economy, gender-pay and pension gaps, gender care gaps, decision-making and politics, environmental justice, human and fundamental rights.

This initiative has been collected by Igor Živković.

Women were severely hit during the pandemic. This includes female professionals and entrepreneurs. Coca-Cola Poland in collaboration with the Foundation Of Success Written with Lipstic (Fundacja Sukcesu Pisanego Szminką) has initiated the programme titled ‘Success is ME’, which aims to support women in Poland and get them active in the labour market.

A myriad of free, online tools to support women

‘Success is ME’ gives tools for learning and self-development. They were developed and made available online during the pandemic, and thus easily accessible.

The programme is a rich and comprehensive offer of workshops, courses and expert advice that allow women to get support, help and expand their competences and knowledge. For those who need in-depth and systematic knowledge, individual mentoring sessions are available.

Among the numerous free online tools is the MyOla application, which includes regularly updated recordings, conversations with psychologists, experts and mentors, meditations and breathing exercises. The application has already been downloaded by almost 17,000 users.

Women who seek free and anonymous legal advice can also count on active support.

It was estimated that over 700,000 Polish women already took an advantage of this initiative, although the impact is not measured.

In the future, the organisers of the initiative plan to launch new activities – an intensive training programme for online businesses which aims to show how a business should adapt to new conditions or how to start a business nowadays.

Fundacja Sukcesu Pisanego Szminką aims to promote entrepreneurial attitudes and comprehensive support for women and young people, providing them with professional knowledge necessary for personal and professional development.

Find out more about ‘Success is ME’

To alleviate the impacts of COVID-19 policies, many initiatives have been developed by civil society organisations – NGOs, local governments, or citizens. A team of national researchers from the RESISTIRÉ project has collected and highlighted a set of particularly relevant initiatives in 27 European countries and in Iceland, Serbia, the United Kingdom and Turkey. The initiatives currently cover eight specific domains: gender-based violence, the labour market, the economy, gender-pay and pension gaps, gender care gaps, decision-making and politics, environmental justice, human and fundamental rights.

This societal initiative has been collected by: Elisabeth Anna Guenther and Celina Beck

Protecting all sex workers 

In August 2020, Berufsvertretung Sexarbeit Österreich launched a campaign focusing on the precarious working conditions of sex workers in the context of the Covid19 crisis. It is a response to the government’s Corona aid support programmes and their access criteria, which exclude sex workers through bureaucratic hurdles. 

The initiative aimed to help sex workers cope with their situation during the pandemic. Among sex workers, some groups are particularly in need of protection: migrant women, single mothers, people affected by poverty or in debt, people suffering from addiction, homeless or houseless people. 

Sex in a state of emergency  

The initiative aimed to help sex workers cope with their situation during the pandemic. Among sex workers, some groups are particularly in need of protection: migrant women, single mothers, people affected by poverty or in debt, people suffering from addiction, homeless or houseless people. 

Due to the lockdown, sex workers had no income as sex work was legally prohibited between 3 November 2020 and 19 May 2021. Sexual services are not subject to the Austrian trade regulations and are thus excluded from revenue subsidy, as it was the case for other businesses. The guidelines for revenue subsidies explicitly state that “establishments engaged in the practice of prostitution” are exempted. As self-employed, sex workers can apply for money from the Hardship Fund, but often fail to meet access criteria, such as an Austrian bank account or proof of income. 

The pressure to work illegally therefore increased and Berufsvertretung Sexarbeit Österreich was founded in response to this. BSÖ collected money through the fundraising campaign “Helping is sexy” which were then redistributed by the association, for example in the form of shopping vouchers for sex workers. 

During lockdown, other feminist initiatives also supported sex worker; LEFOE, in Vienna, collected money for (migrant) sex workers, and Maiz, in Linz, created information videos in six languages to support (migrant) sex workers to apply for the Hardship Fund. 

Berufsvertretung Sexarbeit Österreich was founded by sex worker and activist Shiva Prugger in response to the situation of sex workers during the pandemic. The centre Sophie  – offering counselling and support in legal, social and health-related areas for women who are or have been involved in sex work – is used as the association’s headquarters.

Read more about the initiative

To alleviate the impacts of COVID-19 policies, many initiatives have been developed by civil society organisations – NGOs, local governments, or citizens. A team of national researchers from the RESISTIRÉ project has collected and highlighted a set of particularly relevant initiatives in 27 European countries and in Iceland, Serbia, the United Kingdom and Turkey. The initiatives currently cover eight specific domains: gender-based violence, the labour market, the economy, gender-pay and pension gaps, gender care gaps, decision-making and politics, environmental justice, human and fundamental rights.

This societal initiative has been collected by: Agnes Kende.

COVID-19’s impact on the workplace: different repercussions on different minorities

In Hungary, WeAreOpen partnered with Amnesty Magyarország, Bagázs Egyesület, Háttér Társaság and Salva Vita Alapítvány to produce a report on the impact of the pandemic on minorities in the workplace.

“What can employers do? COVID-19 Impact Report on Women, LGBTQ+, Roma & Disabled People” is a collaborative project aiming to demonstrate the different impacts the pandemic is having on different minority groups, including among employees. The report includes useful information, resources and concrete tips for employers on how to handle specific situations.

To get an overview of the scope of inequalities during the pandemic, each participating non-profit organisation focused on one subject, relying on years of experience and expertise ; Amnesty International Hungary provided information on gender equality and the role of women in domestic and care work, Háttér Society shared their expertise on LGBTQ+ inclusion, Bagázs Association provided insights on Roma communities in Hungary, and Salva Vita Foundation
focused on the challenges faced by disabled people because of social distancing and remote work.

A collaborative process

Participating organisations are disseminating the final report jointly: they are sharing it with the more than one thousand employers belonging to the OPEN Community, and making it available for all on their websites and social media channels. They hope that, by highlighting some of these insights, they can help companies and organisations ease the negative effects of the pandemic on diverse employees and communities.

The report is a first step in the right direction: the partners now encourage all organisations, companies and experts to join the project and contribute their own ideas, stories, best practices etc. and inspire others.

WeAreOpen is a non-profit organisation that creates campaigns with a coalition of businesses to promote diversity and inclusion for millions, and helps companies become more open by offering services, workshops, talks and consulting.

Click here to access the full report

To alleviate the impacts of COVID-19 policies, many initiatives have been developed by civil society organisations – NGOs, local governments, or citizens. A team of national researchers from the RESISTIRÉ project has collected and highlighted a set of particularly relevant initiatives in 27 European countries and in Iceland, Serbia, the United Kingdom and Turkey. The initiatives currently cover eight specific domains: gender-based violence, the labour market, the economy, gender-pay and pension gaps, gender care gaps, decision-making and politics, environmental justice, human and fundamental rights.

The LGBTI+ movement in Turkey has a long history, gaining momentum at the beginning of the 2000s and even more visibility during the Gezi protests of 2013. Since then, tens of thousands of people have taken part in the movement before it was banned in 2015. Although the LGBTI+ community has never lived an easy life in Turkey, the most recent developments — such as the ban of pride walks and LGBTİ+ events, stigmatization, hate crimes, discrimination against LGBTİ+ people and organisations, lack of legal protections, and sharpening of anti-gay rhetoric from the presidency — have put its very survival at risk.

In 2021, Turkey has ranked second-worst country in the “Rainbow Index” of the European Region of the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association. Under the conservative, anti-gender politics affecting the everyday lives of LGBTI+s in Turkey, finding alternative ways of resistance and solidarity has become inevitable for LGBTI+ organisations, initiatives, and groups.

Targeted by the government, the LGBTI+ community had to find creative ways for mutual support

The Queerwaves initiative and its campaign of support to queer nightlife workers during the pandemic were created in this difficult context. Queerwaves was founded in 2014 by a couple of queer DJs who wanted to bring a ‘queer touch’ to Istanbul’s nightlife and electronic music scene. The initiative puts forward partying as a form of resistance for the queer community in Turkey and organizes parties and special events to provide alternative ways of entertainment and create solidarity opportunities.

Queer nightlife workers and performance communities in Istanbul are already living under extremely precarious conditions. The most vulnerable people, whose vibrancy, labor, and creativity constitute the basis of the queer nightlife of Istanbul do not have any access to social security systems or receive any kind of government aid. For members of the community, paying rent and covering their basic needs have always been challenging, and the measures imposed to combat the spread of the pandemic have severely worsened these conditions.

With the cancellation of nightlife events during the pandemic, queer nightlife workers were in danger of slipping further into severe poverty

With the “Support to Queer Nightlife Workers” campaign, Queerwaves has aimed to support Queer Nightlife Workers who need urgent support and had no access to the social security system to survive during the lockdown period, providing for their basic needs. Given the unprecedented difficulties faced by these people during the lockdown, when venues were closed and events were cancelled, Queerwaves has urgently called members of the queer community who are financially more secure to support those in need.

As of May 2021, the campaign has reached 151 donors and raised a total of 5673 euros. In April 2021, Queerwaves reported having distributed a total of 53.200 TRY (4480 euros) to 12 people including bar staff, DJs, and performers.

To alleviate the impacts of COVID-19 policies, many initiatives have been developed by civil society organisations – NGOs, local governments, or citizens. A team of national researchers from the RESISTIRÉ project has collected and highlighted a set of particularly relevant initiatives in 27 European countries and in Iceland, Serbia, the United Kingdom and Turkey. The initiatives currently cover eight specific domains: gender-based violence, the labour market, the economy, gender-pay and pension gaps, gender care gaps, decision-making and politics, environmental justice, human and fundamental rights.

Women, especially migrant women, are generally over-represented in the domestic work sector worldwide. In Spain, where the International Labor Organisation Convention on Domestic Workers has yet to be ratified, women who lost their job as domestic workers during the pandemic were not entitled to receive unemployment benefits under the Spanish Labour Law. 

Despite a first attempt by the Spanish government to mitigate the situation by approving a special amendment in April 2020 which granted a temporary subsidy, many women were still left out, because the regulation applied only to the domestic workers registered in the Social Security system. However, the prevalence of informal employment in this sector remains extremely high, with around 30% of domestic workers do not have an employment contract at all, and many others who find themselves in a situation of administrative irregularity. This led to a situation where many domestic workers were left even more unprotected during the pandemic.

Supporting the domestic workers who lost their job due to COVID-19

To address this issue and provide relief and support to these women, several local feminist associations got together to organise the crowdfunding campaign “Yo no las dejo solas” (“I do not leave them alone”). The campaign aimed at raising funds to provide financial support to domestic workers that had lost their jobs in the Basque region and who could not access unemployment benefits for not having a contract or for being in an administrative situation of irregularity.

They managed to raise a total amount of 22’740 Euros from 270 donations and distributed the funds to 136 migrant women. The money was used primarily to help women paying their rent. Exceeding their initial aim of 13’000 Euros, the campaign was a successful tool for raising money but also a means to advocate for a political solution to the situation. 

The campaign was launched by four associations of migrant women (Feministas por Nicaragua Euskal Herria, Mujeres con Voz, Mujeres Tejiendo Red, Trabajadoras No Domesticadas), and had the support of three local feminist organizations (El Fondo de Mujeres Calala, Pikara Magazine and Sortzen Consultoría).  

Learn more on their pages:

Feministas de Nicaragua – Euskal Herria

Mujeres con Voz

Mujeres Tejiendo Red

Trabajadoras No Domesticadas

To alleviate the impacts of COVID-19 policies, many initiatives have been developed by civil society organisations – NGOs, local governments, or citizens. A team of national researchers from the RESISTIRÉ project has collected and highlighted a set of particularly relevant initiatives in 27 European countries and in Iceland, Serbia, the United Kingdom and Turkey. The initiatives currently cover eight specific domains: gender-based violence, the labour market, the economy, gender-pay and pension gaps, gender care gaps, decision-making and politics, environmental justice, human and fundamental rights.

Achieving an authentic partnership between the sexes, with equal pay, care responsibilities, and equal rights is the vision of the Katholischer Deutscher Frauenbun, the Catholic German Women’s Union. To tackle the negative effects of the pandemic on gender equality, the KDFB has organised a digital 48-hour workshop in cooperation with the Bavarian Ministry for Social Affairs. The event, open to women and men of all ages, aimed at gathering ideas to shape the future of gender equality.

The COVID-19 pandemic as a turning point for gender equality and justice

The aim of the hackathon was to assess the impact of COVID-19 on the care work, the responsibilities allocated to the different sexes, and the mixing of the private and professional spheres, acting as a catalyst for ideas and practices mitigating these impacts and bringing positive change. The hackathon was opened to discuss the challenges and opportunities for equality, for both women and men.

Following the success of the initiative, the KDFB has organised a series of further online events on the topic, running online until November 2021:

2nd team meeting: October 6th, 2021, 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.

3rd team meeting: October 20, 2021, 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.

4th team meeting: November 10, 2021, 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.

5th team meeting: November 24, 2021, 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.

Closing event on December 2nd, 2021 for “Digital Volunteer Day” from 7:00 p.m.

Read more about the Equal = equal hackathon