Brussels, 06/12/2013
Labour ministers will meet on 9 and 10 December to discuss the Enforcement Directive of the Posting of Workers Directive as part of the Employment, Social Affairs, Health and Consumer Affairs (EPSCO) Council.
In a letter to the responsible ministers, ETUC Secretary General Bernadette Ségol asks EU governments to respect the rights of workers and end social dumping in Europe.
“The reality in Europe today is that social dumping is taking place, often under the pretext of rules on the posting of workers. Workers in Europe are deprived of their rightful entitlements to pay and social protection. This has to stop,” she writes.
In order to combat social dumping, the directive must strengthen the protection of posted workers’ rights, she says. Current compromises being discussed will not achieve this.
“Despite all the cases of posted workers being abused, I fear that the EPSCO Council does not have the political will to agree on effective measures to combat fraud and social dumping,” says ETUC Confederal Secretary, Veronica Nilsson.
“We have called upon governments not to accept any restrictions to their rights to carry out control measures. Yet the presidency’s proposal is full of restrictions.”
“If this proposal is adopted, the Council will let down hundreds of thousands of posted workers and the whole European trade union movement.”
The full text of the letter can be found here : http://www.etuc.org/IMG/pdf/051213_EPSCO_ministers.pdf