Background information

The passenger transport company Trenord, operating in the Lombardy region through its local trains, stipulated a health insurance policy dedicated to the workers infected by the COVID-19 virus. The high degree of exposure of the personnel working in the company to the risk of contagion has led the company to implement this additional insurance coverage at the expenses of the company. The Trenord personnel, in fact, operates in essential transport services which cannot be interrupted even during the worst phases of the pandemic.

Content of measure

As part of the company-level welfare benefits, the company Trenord stipulated a health insurance policy dedicated to the workers infected by the COVID-19 virus and hospitalised in the intense care ward. It provided for a daily hospitalisation allowance corresponding to €100 for each day that the infected worker spend in the hospital exceeding the seventh day, for a maximum of further 10 days. In addition, it provided for a convalescence allowance of €3,000 paid upon discharge from the hospital. The company also established a financial support covering the expenses for the post-hospitalisation assistance, domiciliary medical assistance, babysitting services for the children under the age of 13, pet sitting service, and home delivery of foodstuffs.

Use of measure

The health insurance policy covered over 4,300 employees in the company, including 2,300 train drivers and train managers, maintenance workers and employees involved in the commercial and administrative departments.

Contents

• Social protection, incl. pension

Target groups

Workers	Businesses	Citizens
Applies to all workers	Does not apply to businesses	Does not apply to citizens

Actors and funding

Actors	Funding
Company / Companies	Companies

Social partners

Social partners' role in designing the measure and form of involvement:

	Trade unions	Employers' organisations
Role	No involvement	No involvement
Form	Not applicable	Not applicable

Social partners' role in the implementation, monitoring and assessment phase:

• No involvement
• Main level of involvement: Company level

Involvement

The social partners had no role in designing, implementing and monitoring phases of the measure. It represents a unilateral decision adopted by the management of the company, as part of its company-level welfare policies.

Views and reactions

Despite the fact that the social partners had no role in designing, implementing and monitoring phases of the company-level welfare policy, their view is expected to be fully supportive. The health insurance policy, in fact, represents an important tool, in financial and services terms, for a workforce at high risk of COVID-19 infection.

Sectors and occupations

This case is not occupation-specific.

Sources

• 25 March 2020: Associazione italiana welfare aziendale (www.aiwa.it)