Good news for millions of mobile workers across the EU: the Fair Labour Mobility Package, presented today by European Commission Executive Vice-President Roxana Mînzatu, marks a crucial step towards facilitating and ensuring fair freedom of movement for every mobile worker across Europe.
Free movement is a fundamental right, yet mobile workers have been facing obstacles when transferring social security rights, having their skills and qualifications recognised, or securing effective protection from abuse. The package addresses these challenges with several concrete legislative proposals,many of which reflect long-lasting demands of the PES family: the strengthening of the European Labour Authority (ELA) will include stronger inspections and clearer competences for ELA to fight labour exploitation and social dumping. A substantial part of the Package furthermore aims at facilitating and modernising labour mobility, such as the introduction of the European Social Security Pass. The Package also sets out to accelerate recognition procedures of qualifications and stronger protections for third-country nationals.
For the Party of European Socialists (PES), labour mobility must be based on equal treatment. Workers must enjoy the same rights and protections regardless of their place of work, contract, origin or gender. This Package has the potential to deliver accordingly through digital and simpler procedures as well as improved enforcement of rules.
PES President Stefan Löfven said:
“Free movement must never mean fewer rights. A worker who crosses a border to take up a job must be able to carry their social security rights and qualifications with them and must be able to rely on rights and rules being enforced. Under Roxana Mînzatu’s leadership, this package sets out to put fairness at the heart of labour mobility. We will work to ensure that the final measures effectively protect every mobile worker, and guarantee equal treatment, quality jobs and fair working conditions.”
The PES will continue working to ensure that the package delivers tangible improvements in workers’ lives. It reiterates that any proposals undermining or weakening workers’ rights under the guise of simplification must be opposed and any loopholes allowing for social dumping must be closed. Innovation must always sustain our social fabric. A race to the bottom is never the solution.
Fair labour mobility is a win for both Europe’s social model and its Single Market. Every worker must be able to move for work without losing rights, security or protection. Quality jobs across Europe are an asset, and not a burden.
