The European Commission has reportedly slammed on the brakes, stopping an investigation into minimum wage laws affecting foreign drivers in European Union member states Germany, France and Austria.
“It’s been three years since the Commission launched an investigation with Germany on whether its Minimum Wage Law MiLog is in line with the EU law. The same applies to the French Loi Macron law and the Austrian LSD-BG,” said Czech MEP, Martina Dlabajová (ALDE). “Through its inaction, the Commission is deepening legal uncertainty for Central and Eastern European businesses,” she added.
While the EU’s mobility package, which regulates the rules for future operation of haulage transport in Europe, could serve to iron out the issue of wages paid to foreign drivers, it is reportedly being blocked by Western countries in the European Parliament.
Low labour costs in Eastern countries is leading to a “race to the bottom” and result in an unfair competition. This is why an alliance of truck drivers and unions has been calling on Brussels to strengthen labour rules to prevent underpaid workers from lower-wage EU countries from delivering goods anywhere in the bloc.
