In the chaotic proceedings of the European Parliament we are witnessing an attempt to adopt a Directive that could have serious consequences for the labour market and for European society. More specifically, whereas spokespersons claim to defend equal treatment, the Directive actually excludes certain groups of workers, namely: seasonal workers, workers posted from third countries, intra-group workers, and workers who arrive under a General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS).

For Joël Decaillon, Deputy General Secretary of ETUC, it is altogether regrettable that a Directive which will have a strong impact on our labour market is not discussed in the European Parliament’s employment committee. He declared: “We have already reproached the European Commission for not having engaged in social consultations before initiating this Directive, all the more so as there are very serious risks of further fragmenting the European labour market.” ETUC has called on its national organisations to do their utmost to address this issue.