The European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) calls on EU institutions to act now and conclude the long-overdue reform of the EU rules on social security coordination. This reform is essential to support fair labour mobility and protect the rights of Europe’s 14 million cross-border workers.
After eight years of negotiations, only a few outstanding issues remain. A final agreement is within reach. Now is the time for EU leaders to deliver.
The ETUC therefore urgently calls on the Polish Presidency to agree to a next negotiating round (trilogue) as soon as possible and on the EU co-legislators to finalise an agreement before the end of the Polish Presidency. This is a crucial moment to continue the trilogues to find an agreement that protects the rights of mobile workers. Failure to deliver would strongly undermine workers’ trust in the EU Internal Market.
Mandatory prior notification of postings is of utmost importance, in particular in fraud-sensitive sectors like construction industry. Clear rules on pluriactivity are necessary to tackle fraud and abuse in sectors with a mobile workforce. Unemployment benefits in cross-border situations must ensure that workers are not losing out when exercising their freedom of movement.
Esther Lynch, ETUC General Secretary emphasises that ‘Social security rights of 14 million Europeans working across borders cannot be put on hold or abandoned in a social market economy aiming to bring social progress. Social security and strong protections against abuse are key components of fair labour mobility and must be guaranteed in the compromises to ensure workers support.’
Isabelle Schömann, ETUC Deputy General Secretary stresses that ‘Social security coordination is a key aspect of free movement, and goes to the heart of mobile and posted workers, their safety and social protection as citizens. These workers make a key contribution to the functioning of the EU internal market, and cannot be left behind in a revision supposed to bring more fairness and better enforcement.’
