INTRODUCTION

The current situation has led the Government of the Nation and the Administrations of the Autonomous Communities to adopt a series of exceptional measures to deal with this extraordinary situation, the former declaring a state of alarm (Royal Decree 463/2020, of March 14), which constitutes a milestone in our recent democratic history, the only precedent being the declaration of a state of alarm that took place in 2010 on the occasion of the closure of airspace due to the controllers’ strike.

Among the decisions adopted by the Government (and by the Autonomous Communities) to deal with this epidemiological situation, elevated to pandemic status by the WHO on March 11, are those aimed at isolating the source of infection and limiting the transmission mechanisms that facilitate contagion, and which in the socio-economic field have resulted in the imposition of the suspension of certain activities, or, in other words, the temporary prohibition of carrying out specific economic activities. The Government has approved Royal Decree-Law 7/2020 of March 12 adopting urgent measures to respond to the economic impact of COVID-A9 and Royal Decree 463/2020 of March 14 declaring a state of alarm for the management of the health crisis situation caused by COVID-19.

Faced with this situation, we must ask ourselves what mechanisms companies have at their disposal to deal with the current situation:

Contract suspensions
Mutually agreed upon reductions in working hours
Advance vacation time with the consent of employees
The ERTE (Expediente de Regulación Temporal de Empleo – Temporary Labor Force Adjustment Plan)

In the attached document you will find the details of each of the points presented.