S&D MEPs will call today, during an S&D workshop in the European Parliament, for a real and effective European Labour Authority that is able to enforce labour and social rights and ensure rules on labour mobility fairly.

 

During the workshop, MEPs Agnes Jongerius and Georgi Pirinski will welcome and discuss with specialists and trade union representatives the role of the Authority in the protection of workers’ rights and fair mobility.

 

The participants include Eurofound, the Free Movement of Workers, EURES of the European Commission, ETUC Confederal, the Sheffield University Management School, and the Chamber of Labour Vienna.

 

S&D Group spokesperson for employment, Agnes Jongerius MEP, said:

 

“We are very pleased with the Commission proposal on the European Labour Authority (ELA) as it is a response to our calls since the start of the legislature. However, we must ensure that ELA does not only stay on paper but also reflects the reality on the ground. This is why we are calling for an effective Authority with monitoring and enforcement tasks at its core. ELA must be able to enforce labour and social rights and ensure fair mobility and competition.

 

“It is crucial that workers and trade unions are able to file concrete cases of abuse and exploitation directly to the ELA. For us Socialists and Democrats, there cannot be a Labour Authority without the involvement of social partners. It is paramount therefore that social partners are fully involved at all stages as they know best the problems on the ground.”

 

S&D negotiator on the European Labour Authority, Georgi Pirinski MEP, said:

 

“S&Ds are determined that the proposed European Labour Authority must play a crucial role for protecting workers’ rights in the context of fair mobility. The current situation in a great number of cases regarding working conditions for mobile workers is most worrying and requires determined coordinated action at EU and national levels. In this light, the Commission’s proposal for a European Labour Authority is open to serious questioning, which we look forward to going into at the S&D Group Workshop today with practitioners and experts.”

 

The workshop will be held today Wednesday 6 June 2018 from 15:00 to 18:15 in the European Parliament in Brussels.

 

It will be live-streamed and interpreted in EN, ES, FR, DE and IT. You can watch it here.

 

 

The European Labour Authority aims to ensure that EU rules on labour mobility be enforced in a fair, simple and effective way. It was announced in September 2017 by the president of the European Commission, and on 13 March 2018 the legislative proposal was presented as part of the roll-out of the European Pillar of Social Rights.

 

The Authority will be up and running in 2019 and is expected to reach its full operational capacity by 2023.