Essential services may refer to a class of
occupations that have been
legislated by a government to have special restrictions in regard to
labour actions such as not being allowed to
strike.
The
International Labour Office
The International Labour Organization (ILO) is a United Nations agency whose mandate is to advance social and economic justice by setting international labour standards. Founded in October 1919 under the League of Nations, it is the first and ol ...
, a
United Nations agency, distinguishes an essential service from a minimum service.
[International Labour Organization](_blank)
, Freedom of association - Digest of decisions and principles of the Freedom of Association Committee of the Governing Body of the ILO. Fifth (revised) edition, 2006.
Industries defined as essential services differ based on the organization or government but generally include services such as
hospitals and other healthcare, utilities such as
electricity and
water supply,
law enforcement and
firefighting
Firefighting is the act of extinguishing or preventing the spread of unwanted fires from threatening human lives and destroying property and the environment. A person who engages in firefighting is known as a firefighter.
Firefighters typically ...
, and
food
Food is any substance consumed by an organism for nutritional support. Food is usually of plant, animal, or fungal origin, and contains essential nutrients, such as carbohydrates, fats, proteins, vitamins, or minerals. The substance is inge ...
services.
Public health emergencies
"Essential services" may also refer to those services that are vital to the health and welfare of a population and so are essential to maintain even in a disaster. During the
COVID-19 pandemic, many jurisdictions ordered non-essential services to close for several weeks in an effort to control the spread of the virus. The
United States Department of Homeland Security's
Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency issued a nation-wide
guidance document that defined activities that the Agency had determined to be "essential" to the control of the pandemic and the management of its effects.
Examples of industries in which at least some workers were classified as "essential" during the pandemic included:
* Health care, public health, and human services
* Law enforcement, public safety, and first responders
* Food and agriculture
* Energy
* Water and wastewater
* Transportation and logistics
* Public works
* Communications and information technology
* Other community-based essential functions and government operations
* Critical manufacturing
* Supply chains
* Retail and wholesaling
* Food services and accommodations
* Institutional, residential, commercial, and industrial maintenance
* Manufacturing and production
* Construction
* Financial activities
* Resources
* Environmental services
* Utilities and community services
* Communications industries
* Research
* Justice
* Business regulators and inspectors
References
{{reflist
Labor relations
Labour law