Commission to boost protection for posted workers

To make the EU single market work better for workers and for business, the European Commission has proposed new rules to increase the protection of workers temporarily posted abroad.

Worker protection and fair competition are the two sides of the EU single market's coin, yet findings suggest that minimum employment and working conditions are often not respected for the one million or so posted workers in the EU.

To address the specific issues of abuse where workers do not enjoy their full rights in terms of for example, pay or holidays, especially in the construction sector, the Commission has put forward concrete, practical proposals as part of an enforcement Directive to increase monitoring and compliance and to improve the way existing rules on posted workers are applied in practice. This will ensure a level playing field between the businesses involved, excluding companies that don't follow the rules.

To send a strong message that workers' rights and their freedom to strike are on an equal footing with the freedom to provide services, the Commission has also put forward a new regulation that takes on board existing case law. This is especially relevant in the context of cross-border services provision like the posting of workers.

The overall aim of both proposals is to boost quality jobs and increase competitiveness in the EU by updating and improving the way the single market works, while safeguarding workers’ rights.