The world over, the Covid-19 pandemic did not only place heavy burdens on health care systems, but also dramatically changed the working life of many employees. Suddenly faced with restrictions on office access, work shortages and potentially ill family members, workers were faced with much uncertainty regarding their legal rights and obligations. Countries have found different ways to resolve these issues by creating different sets of laws and regulations. However, as the pandemic continues to spread, there is a continuous need to adapt.

In light of these developments, the Social Law Institute of Civil, Commercial and Economic Law School at the Chinese University for Political Science and Law (CUPL), in cooperation with the Friedrich Ebert Foundation (FES) Beijing will co-organise a workshop for legal scholars on labour and social law during the Covid-19 pandemic on October 17 and 18, 2020. German, Chinese and international legal experts will discuss the reactions of labour and social law in China, Germany, Austria, France and the UK to the challenges of Covid-19.