To what extent is the labour/ trade union' s role in contributing to the new normal workplace arrangement/ standard operating procedures in post Covid 19?
I think, this question is a bit too early asked, as several months, or may be, a year of coronavirus are ahead of us. But I predict that there will be contradictions between the old style social dialogue role and the new role.
I have benefited from the ILO publications on COVID-19. They have played a great role in forcing labour unions during the pandemic to follow safety precautions.
ILO= Int'l Labour Organisation
Just as some previous responses by the colleagues implied: the answer depends on the situation and - above all - on the context. The legally defined roles of the trade unions differ a lot between the countries, even at the regional level. It is also necessary to consider the impact of the works councils as workplace representations, especially in countries like Germany or Austria.