Rejection by national parlts forces EC to review planned change to posted workers directive

Budapest, May 13 (MTI) – Hungary is among the 11 European Union member states whose parliaments have rejected the European Commission’s planned revision of the posted workers directive. This so-called yellow card will force the commission to review the plan, the economy ministry said on Friday.

The directive lays down rules for the pay of workers posted from one member state to another. The commission wants to abolish “social dumping”, meaning posted workers should be paid the same as local ones along the lines of “the same pay for the same work at the same place”.

A Hungarian construction company, say, contracted to build in Germany would have to pay its posted workers the German wage. Businesses from low-wage countries say this would take away their competitive advantage.

The parliaments of Hungary, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Croatia, Poland, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania and Slovakia object to the planned revision by Brussels, obliging the commission to review the plan, the ministry noted, adding that it will then either withdraw, amend or maintain it.