With its current newsletter ed* "Tough work, tough conditions? Cross-border labour mobility under the microscope”, the European Representation of the German Social Insurance (DSV) is looking at the working conditions of mobile workers in road haulage, the construction sector, agriculture and the meat industry. The result: Despite good laws, there still seem to be shortcomings in dealing with foreign employees.

Approaches to improving working condi­tions

The good news: There are specific approaches to improving the working conditions and protection of cross-border workers. In some EU countries, for example, digital monitoring tools are in place on construction sites to verify compliance of the workers with the necessary work requirements, such as proof of qualifications, the validity of the A1 certificate or the EU residence permit. According to the European Parliament, the European Labour Authority (ELA) should also be more closely involved in the control of social dumping and undeclared work. At European policy level, for example, the conditions for linking agricultural subsidies to compliance with labour and occupational health and safety regulations were already laid down the beginning of this year. And in Germany, policy makers have set a good example by banning labour contract constellations that are particularly susceptible to abuse.

Compe­ti­tion, pros­perity and fair labour go hand in hand

Europe needs foreign workers to maintain its competitiveness and prosperity. The working conditions of people to be recruited for the sometimes difficult work on the motorways, in construction, food industry or agriculture must be right. Otherwise, the required workforce will not be met. Against this background, all efforts to combat any legal breach, to monitor compliance with health and safety legislation more closely and to take legislative action where necessary are to be welcomed.