On the Corona Frontline: The Experiences of care workers in nine European countries

A report series on the impact the pandemic has had on elder care and the justified demands of the care workers’ trade unions.

It is high time we listen now!

Covid-19 has uncovered many societal fault lines. The virus hit the elder care sector in many countries especially hard, leading to many deaths and pushing care workers fighting on the corona frontline to the end of their limits. The pandemic has underscored the deficiencies in elder care that haven been warned about and protested by trade unions for years. Precarious working conditions, understaffing and underfunding devastatingly undermined the ability to protect the most vulnerable during the corona pandemic: our elderly.

Reports from nine countries

The Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung has on initiative of the Swedish municipal workers unions, Kommunal, and the Swedish progressive thinktank Arena Idé commissioned reports from several Europeans countries. By focusing on the plight of those in need of care and their care givers, the reports shed light on the impact of the pandemic has had on elder care and highlights the justified demands of the care workers’ trade unions as well as the long overdue reforms for the elder care sector in general.

Download the German and Nordic published reports here:

On the Corona Frontline - Summary report

On the Corona Frontline - Denmark

On the Corona Frontline - Finland

On the Corona Frontline - Germany

On the corona frontline - Norway

On the Corona Frontline - Sweden

Please visit our German and English project sites, to find all the published country reports

Authors and participating organizations: 
Summary report, Lisa Pelling, Arena Idé
Denmark: Kasper Manniche, Amalie Dam-Hansen, Charlotte Bredal, FOA
England: Gerry Mitchell, FES UK
Finland: Sari Bäcklund-Kajanmaa, JHL
Germany: Hildegard Theobald, Ver.Di, FES APB
Norway: Anne-Mari Samskott, Ingvar Skjerve, Fagforbundet
Portugal: Ana Catarina Fontes, FES Portugal
Scotland: Dave Watson, FES UK
Spain: Jorge Hernández-Moreno and Manuel Pereira-Puga, IPP-CSIC, FES Madrid and Fundación Alternativas 
Sweden: Mari Huupponen, Kommunal

"On the corona frontline" is a cooperation with the Swedish Municipal Workers’ Union Kommunal  and the progressive think tank Arena Idé.

For more information contact:
Josefin Fürst (josefin.furst(at)fes.de). 

On the Corona Frontline

Pelling, Lisa

On the Corona Frontline

The experiences of care workers in nine European countries ; Summary report
Stockholm, 2021

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FES Nordic Countries

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Barnhusgatan 10
111 23 Stockholm
Sweden

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