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RMT helpline 0800 376 3706 :: april 2019 :: RMTnews
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Thousands of workers from
unions all over the continent
marched in Brussels last month
against EU rules that encourage
social dumping.
Social dumping involves
paying migrant workers less
than local workers and making
them work long and sometimes
dangerous hours with little or
no protection.
Using EU rules, transnational
companies are employing
workers from 'low wage'
member states to gain market
advantage over workers from
member states with higher pay
and social standards. As a result
companies from high wage
countries are continually
searching for ways to avoid
legal constraints by employing
subcontractors from low-wage
countries and engaging cheaper
and more vulnerable temporary
and agency workers.
Employers have exploited
several high profiles cases
before the Court of Justice of
the EU, including the Viking
and the Laval cases, which have
ruled that business rights to
‘freedom of establishment’
trump all trade union rights
allowing TNCs to expand the
social dumping model.
Bosses have also used
loopholes in EU law such as the
so-called ‘Swedish derogation’
which allows employers to
avoid minimum standards
supposedly enshrined in the EU
Agency Workers directive.
Under the ‘Swedish
derogation’ if a worker declares
themselves a limited company
the employer can legally pay
them less wages. As a result
employers only employ agency
workers that are limited
companies in order to save
money and boost profits.
The demonstration, which
marched from central Brussels
to the European Commission,
was to protest about EU rules
that encourage this practice in
the transport sector.
The diversity of the sectors,
slogans and signs on the march
revealed that social dumping
and exploitation are felt in all
parts of the transport sector.
ETF president Frank Moreels
said that Europe's 10 million
transport workers deserved
respect.
“The ETF has delivered a
AGAINST SOCIAL
DUMPING!
Transport workers from across Europe took to the streets
of Brussels last month to protest against social dumping