Posting of workers during the COVID-19 pandemic, current challenges, and future prospects

Researchers online meeting to develop the research methodology

27.02.2023

The inaugural Online Researchers’ Meeting on research methodology convened on February 27, 2023, with participation from six researchers representing Portugal, Serbia, Poland, Bulgaria, and Slovakia. Despite the absence of Greek partners due to a national holiday, they were informed of the proceedings and agreements reached during the meeting. Conducted in English via Zoom, the event saw the Nova University researchers presenting the research methodology through PowerPoint presentations, followed by a comprehensive debate among all attendees regarding the research activity phases.

Key outcomes of the meeting included unanimous agreements to:

a) Develop two national reports in English by April 2023, focusing on literature review and datasets, each limited to 10 pages. For the literature review, researchers decided to explore major scientific databases for relevant keywords and controversies in sociology, economics, and legal aspects related to posted workers. Regarding datasets, the consensus was to extract national data from databases of National Employment Agencies or OSHA-EU, identifying key companies in the manufacturing sector involved in posting workers.

b) Draft questions for an online survey, interviews, and online focus groups by May 2023. A draft email inviting at least four companies to participate in the research activity was also planned.

c) Launch the online survey (targeting 100 responses) and select four companies for participation between May and June 2023.

d) Facilitate online focus groups with selected companies in June-July 2023, including short video interviews with participants. Two focus group seminars per country, involving a total of 140 people, will be organized, addressing aspects of posting workers during the pandemic.

e) Host the 2nd Researcher Online Meeting in September 2023 to assess research findings and discuss the analytical report’s structure.

f) Prepare “country-specific analytical reports” in national languages by November/December 2023, summarizing online questionnaire, interview, and focus group findings.