Tallinn talks reach compromise on low-cost labour dispute

© Anna Hristova

The ongoing dispute among European Union governments over the posted workers directive – which regulates people employed in one EU country, but sent to temporarily work in another and said to be threatening jobs in richer, west European countries – appears to be on the path to being resolved – if talks in Tallinn yesterday are anything to go by. It is particularly relevant to firms operating pan-European trucking, with eastern hauliers blamed for taking western jobs due to far lower wage levels. It appears that trucking will be temporarily exempt from the directive, and the issue will instead be addressed by the EU’s mobility directive, according to EurActive. “The decision is that rules for posted workers also apply for truckers, but given the specificity of the profession, modalities would be decided as part of the ‘mobility package’ still under negotiation.”