To enforce fair conditions for jobs in other EU countries, the new European Labor Office will be launched this year. Negotiators from the European Commission, the European Parliament and the Member States today agreed on a common plan for the new institution. European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker spoke of great progress towards a more social Europe.
Fight of exploitation
According to the Commission, around 17 million EU citizens work in another member state of the European Union. Another 1.4 million commute daily across the border to their job. The new authority European Labor Authority (ELA) should ensure that social standards are enforced. According to union information, this is not always the case today. With tricks such as longer working hours or unfair deductions, a number of posted workers would be exploited. National authorities often do not lag behind in controls. Also, the information exchange does not always work.
ELA should help to prevent illegal activities with posted workers. In addition, it is intended to settle when companies relocate jobs from one EU country to another. In addition, ELA is intended to inform employees and companies about being posted to other EU countries, for example via language courses and social welfare systems. It is not yet decided where the new EU authority will be based. Interest has shown in Slovakia and Latvia.
„Cherry on cake of a fair labor market“
Social Affairs Commissioner Marianne Thyssen described the new institution as „Cherry on the cake of a fair European labor market“. The EU states see ELA as supporting the enforcement of EU rules, as Romanian Labor Minister Marius-Constantin Budai said for the current EU Presidency. But he also made it clear: „However, the Member States participate in the activities of the labor authority only on a voluntary basis.“
Criticism of ÖVP and FPÖ, praise from SPÖ and Greens
The FPÖ Head of Delegation in the European Parliament Harald Vilimsky said he sees the employment agency ELA very critically. It is a wrong development. „We fear here cuts in the socio-political competence of the member states.“ As „completely overshooting“ and not the Austrian position accordingly designated the ÖVP MEP Heinz Becker the agreement on the establishment of a new EU labor market authority.
SPÖ delegation leader Evelyn Regner saw a „huge success for the social democracy“. With the employment market authority the rule equal pay for equal work in the same place cross-border controlled. Green EU Mandator Monika Vana sees the European Union as a bit more social. The European Labor Office is to detect mailbox companies, bogus self-employment „and other fraudulent business models in all EU Member States“.
