Brussels, Jan. 15, 2021 (Lusa) - The European Economic and Social Committee (EESC), which brings together workers and bosses, called on Friday for the right to disconnect to be a priority for the Portuguese presidency of the Council of the European Union, particularly when working from home, given the Covid-19 pandemic.

In a statement issued today, the EESC said that "EU workers should have the right to disconnect", noting that this issue "will be at the centre of attention during the Portuguese presidency of the Council of the European Union".

"Despite all the benefits of WFH, it is important not to succumb to a culture of permanent availability of workers," he told workers' and employers' organisations and other interest groups after a remote hearing on the challenges of distance working with members of the EESC and the European parliament, as well as representatives of the European Commission, the Portuguese presidency of the Council of the European Union and civil society organisations.

"The hearing [...] looked at whether the EU legal frameworks and existing social partner agreements sufficiently protect workers and guarantee fair working conditions for people working from home," the EESC said.

And, while disagreeing on the need to update existing EU rules, participants were "unanimous on the polarising impact of WFH", he added.

Evidence from this structure indicates that, due to constraints imposed by governments to curb the spread of Covid-19, the percentage of remote workers in the EU has risen from 5% to around 50%, leading to profound changes in the world of work.

While there is no EU legislation specifically addressing the right to switch off or remote work, there are several pieces of legislation regulating working time which also apply to remote workers, notably the Working Time Directive, which sets a maximum limit of 48 hours per week.

This directive also establishes a minimum of 11 uninterrupted hours of daily rest, as well as the need for a weekly rest period and four weeks of paid annual leave.

The Directive on reconciliation of work and family life, on the other hand, gives workers with children and carers the right to request flexible working arrangements for care, one such flexible arrangement being WFH.

In addition, there are two autonomous social agreements concluded by the social partners at EU level: the 2002 agreement on remote work and last year's agreement on digitisation.

The right to disconnect is usually enshrined in company codes of conduct or other forms agreed between employers and individual workers.

Some countries, such as France, Italy, Spain and Belgium, have legislation requiring employers to implement the right to disconnect in their companies.

In Portugal, this issue is not yet regulated, but discussions are taking place.

ANE/ADB // ADB.

Lusa