New exceptions on conditions SZW emergency regulation
After a period of shutdown and closure of many companies, we have now entered a new phase. More and more companies are slowly opening their doors. Employers can appeal to SZW’s emergency regulation until the 12th of October, 2020. This compensation for labor costs helps them to keep personnel on the job. However, a bottleneck for many employers is that employees are not allowed to work within the hours for which they were brought under the regulation. The SZW unit has therefore decided, in consultation with the ministry, to allow exceptions in this new phase also for companies that reopen, but whose reopening is not yet profitable.
Entrepreneurs who want to open their business again or have just reopened, face difficult choices. Essential personnel is required for the minimum service and for activities that come along with the company. However, the demand from the market is no longer the same as before the 13th of March, 2020 due to obstructing circumstances with regard to the corona virus.
In some cases, the new exception allows for employers to put employees with essential functions to work (partially), but still receive wage subsidy for them. This could include jobs that are necessary in order to be able to do the minimum activities upon opening. Employers can submit a request to the SZW unit via noodregelingszw@rijksdienstcn.com. The request should explain which functions are essential for the reopening of the company, which employees will execute them, their job title and the number of hours per week that they will be working again.
The SZW unit assesses per request, for which employees subsidy can still be granted while they are back at work. These exceptions apply for a maximum of two months after approval of the SZW unit. At the time of reopening, there must still be a loss of turnover of at least 20% compared to the situation before the corona crisis.
In April 2020 the SZW unit and the ministry offered a similar exception. Back then it was meant for companies that had been commercially shut down, but necessary work still had to be carried out in order for them to be able to continue their activities after the crisis.