EU rules on posted workers

The European Commission today announced it would be proceeding with its proposal to revise EU rules on the posting of workers, overruling opposition from parliaments in 11 member states which had sought to block the plans with a so-called ‘yellow card’. Welcoming the decision, Green social policy spokesperson Terry Reintke MEP stated:

"The Commission is right to push ahead with its reform of EU rules governing works posted from one member state to another. There are clearly problems with the current rules and we need to urgently address these and ensure a good deal for workers, which guarantees social protection for employees posted to work in another EU country. The ‘subsidiarity argument’ raised by those member states issuing the ‘yellow card’ is a straw man aimed at buying time and does not stand up to scrutiny.

“Free movement is a core principle of the EU; this must mean that workers are free to choose where to work and are guaranteed social rights and fair pay when they do so. We welcome that the Commission wants to prevent discrimination and ensure equal protection for workers posted to work in another member state.  EU rules need to prevent wage dumping: a posted worker should not be paid less than what they would be entitled to as a normal, non-posted member of the workforce. Clearly, the Commission will also need to properly enforce these rules and ensure better monitoring of companies responsible for exploiting workers. This implies setting proper fines to dissuade unscrupulous companies and developing a black list of companies engaging in exploitation.”