More than 700 workers rallied recently in front of the European Parliament in Strasbourg, France, to call on the Europe Union for urgent action to stop exploitation in subcontracting chains and labour intermediation. Following the demonstration, a hearing inside the European Parliament took place focused on testimonies from workers affected by exploitative subcontracting practices and unscrupulous intermediaries with participation from several MEPs.
EFFAT-IUF Europe, EFBWW (European Federation of Building and Woodworkers) and ETF (European Transport Workers’ Federation) are demanding the following:
- EU-binding initiative to limit subcontracting
- EU regulations around labour intermediation
- more frequent and effective EU-wide labour inspections
EFFAT-IUF Europe General Secretary Kristjan Bragason stated, “Abusive subcontracting practices and unregulated labour intermediation are two structural issues of an exploitative business model which is increasingly dominating many sectors of the economy. Migrant and mobile workers are the main victims. Today a strong message goes to the EU institutions. It is time for urgent EU action to ensure real equal treatment at the workplace.”
