Alignment for the entry of workers entering essential jobs

Exceedances of the borders for workers entering essential jobs must be justified very precisely. The employers must justify on a separate form that the task is necessary for security of supply or the industry. The employer must submit a form to the employee about the necessity of the work tasks to be presented to the border guard authority in a border crossing situation. The border control authority makes the decision at each border crossing point on a case-by-case basis.

According to the authorities’ working group, the necessary tasks requiring foreign labor are in particular 1) in agriculture, horticulture and fisheries, 2) in the food sector, 3) in energy supply, 4) in the maritime and manufacturing industries, 5) in construction, 6) in transport and communications, 7) in the chemical industry, 8) in the pharmaceutical industry and health technology, and 9) in the forest sector.

The Government also outlined in more detail the boundary conditions for the entry of labor that is critical for the security of supply of the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry. They include initial reception measures for 1,500 workers for labor allocation, transportation and quarantine. The Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry will promptly inform operators more about the measures related to entry.

Incoming employees will be provided in advance with safety instructions related to the corona. All workers entering the country will be directed to conditions equivalent to two weeks of quarantine. It is the responsibility of employers to arrange transport from the point of entry to the quarantine station.

Tasks that are acute from the point of view of security of supply or critical for the operation of the industry by sector:

Agriculture, horticulture and fisheries

  • work necessary for livestock production and for the care and health of animals
  • necessary work in crop production in the open air and in greenhouses, incl. feed production
  • professional fishing work
  • necessary work for enterprises and communities providing direct services to agricultural and horticultural production (eg food processing, machinery repair, etc.)

The food industry

  • tasks related to the installation, maintenance and servicing of machinery and equipment that require special expertise
  • auditors and certifiers requiring special expertise from industrial plants in different sectors of the sector

Energy supply (incl. nuclear and radiation safety)

Distribution, transmission and production of energy (such as district heating, electricity, gas (incl. liquefied natural gas, LNG), petroleum products and domestic fuels):

  • maintenance and repair work requiring special expertise (incl. annual maintenance and equipment maintenance)
  • testing and trial operation work requiring special expertise
  • control and inspection tasks requiring special expertise related to the above

In the nuclear field in particular, the following tasks:

  • transportation of fresh nuclear fuel
  • refueling of nuclear power plants (annual shutdowns) and related inspection and maintenance measures
  • tasks related to the commissioning of a nuclear power plant, such as installation of systems, completion of tests, refueling and commissioning of the plant;
  • inspection tasks related to nuclear and radiation safety.

Marine and manufacturing industry

  • tasks related to the installation and auditing of systems, equipment and production lines with a broad impact in the supply chain

Construction (incl. water supply plants)

  • specialist installers and experts of hospital equipment
  • specialist installers of hospital electrical systems, specialist tasks related to emergency maintenance and servicing of machines and equipment, and maintenance of automation systems
  • urgent special care and maintenance of other critical infrastructure: channels, electricity, heat requiring special expertise, telecommunications, waste management
  • urgent maintenance, repair and servicing tasks requiring special expertise in energy production facilities

Transport and communications (excluding freight and freight traffic, which continues at all borders)

  • specialized tasks related to the availability and accessibility of electronic communications services and communications networks;
  • tasks requiring special expertise related to security of supply and continuity of transport related to foreign trade (sea, air, rail and road transport and logistics);
  • personnel requiring special expertise working on critical or otherwise essential infrastructure;

Chemical industry (incl. plastics and rubber)

Tasks requiring special expertise related to IT systems (incl. Tasks related to production control and automation systems)

Pharmaceutical industry and health technology sector

  • tasks requiring special expertise in the maintenance and repair of the pharmaceutical industry, laboratories and healthcare equipment;
  • tasks requiring special expertise in the installation and operation of new equipment
  • maintenance and repair tasks requiring special expertise in hospital equipment (including MRI / CT / Gamma cameras, patient monitors, central control rooms, ventilators, anesthesia equipment, information systems, cardiology products, premature cabinets and ultrasound imaging equipment)

Forest Sector

  • forest planting and sowing tasks, work in forest nurseries

Source:  Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment