Brussels, 21/06/2000 (Agence Europe) - On Wednesday, the European Commission adopted a communication on the conditions of work of road hauliers. It mainly concerned: working hours of drivers, controls, vocational training and the creation of a standardised working certificate for hauliers within the EU (see EUROPE of 19 and 29 June, p.12 and 26 April, pp.8 and 9). The aim of this social package is essentially to make Council work progress on the politically tricky issue of working hours for road haulage drivers. It also introduces control measures against "social dumping" of drivers from Eastern Europe.
The Commission proposes to temporarily exclude independent hauliers from the directive on working hours in order to break the deadlock in Council (during discussions begun one year ago, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Finland, Austria, Italy and Spain were opposed to the inclusion of independent workers in the general directive on working hours). To offset this, the Commission hopes to strengthen the application and the control of the regulation 3820/85, which fixes weekly rest periods for hauliers. It thus indirectly reintroduces the question of independents as the directive on rest periods includes all drivers, whether they are independent or not. The road transport unions are more in favour of this proposal which could reduce multiplication of "false independents" subcontracting transport.
"This solution is not ideal of course", acknowledged Transport Commissioner Ms Loyola de Palacio speaking to the press on Wednesday. But, she went on to say, "the problem is that without it we are in an impasse". The Commission proposal offers a solution to the question of working conditions in transport in Europe, and also to the problem of hauliers from third countries employed with salaries below the Community level "in competition-distorting conditions".
The creation of standardised work certificates should allow the law enforcement forces to more easily control whether drivers are employed legally in a Member State, in compliance with at least the national social regulations. The case of the German company Willy Betz, which employs Bulgarian drivers, served as a catalyst among road unions. But, remarked Ms de Palacio, "the problem is very serious in Europe and the case mentioned, which is the best well known, was just the tip of the iceberg".