European Union employment ministers have recently gathered to discuss the increasingly controversial issue of foreign employment.
Nations like France have been calling for stricter regulations on the employment of foreign workers, but have met opposition from countries including Slovakia, Hungary and the UK. Although not all officials were in agreement, EU employment ministers have now come up with a tentative solution.
The Minister of Social Security and Labour Algimanta Pabedinskiene, who chaired the meeting, stated; “We have finally reached an agreement. It will help to protect the rights of the posted workers and will prevent possible abuses and infringements.”
The deal proposed by the Union would mean that tighter controls will be in place, including employees providing official documentation and companies undergoing a higher number of checks to ensure that they are abiding by European labour laws.
Under current EU guidelines foreign workers taking on certain positions may be employed overseas for up to two years. While their contracts have to fit with local labour laws, their home country benefits from the employees’ social security payments.
The revised guidelines will now face further discussions between EU countries and the European Parliament before they are turned into law.