Migrant workers entitled to local conditions

national | worker & community struggles and protests | news report Wednesday May 23, 2007 14:19 by Stuart

European Court of Justice upholds workers rights

The European Court of Justice has today passed opinions in two cases on the rights of migrant workers. Both are relevant to Ireland as one of the leaders in migrant exploitation and one of only three EU states refusing to protect agency workers.

In one case the Latvian construction company Laval provided employees for work in Sweden below Swedish market rates, a scheme of exploitation supported in person by Charlie MCreevy. Advocate-General Mengozzi stated that trade unions "motivated by objectives which are in the public interest" had the right to oblige firms supplying workers from other EU countries to apply domestic pay rates. This upholds the position of Polish and other migrant agency workers in Musgrave Group http://www.indymedia.ie/article/82223 taking action for equal conditions.

In the other case Advocate General Maduro upheld the right of a union to take action to "dissuade" relocation to a lower-wage environment, but relocation (the "right of establishment") by an employer is also upheld. This is the position in Irish Ferries, relocated to the Bahamas and paying (in some cases) Philipino rates.