International

Employment Minister Lodewijk Asscher is to look into the ways in which the minimum wage could be made obligatory for all truck drivers operating in the Netherlands, regardless of whether they are Dutch or come from another member state. SP Members of Parliament Paul Ulenbelt and Farshad Bashir – spokesman respectively on employment-related matters and transport – both welcomed the government’s announcement that it would examine the issue of discriminatory wages in the sector, as the SP has proposed. ‘This is a major breakthrough,’ said Bashir. ‘Hopefully it will put an end to the exploitation of foreign drivers and to Dutch drivers being priced out.’

European Commissioner for Transport Violeta Bulc today addressed a cross-party group of MEPs, headed by the SP’s Dennis de Jong, on the subject of her plans to tackle exploitation and displacement of truck drivers, raising high expectations. ´Bulc looked positively at our proposals for tightening EU legislation on cabotage and against the use of mailbox companies,’ says De Jong. ‘In addition, she wants to strengthen cooperation between inspection services in Europe by giving one of the existing EU Agencies new responsibilities. She’s looking to make possible a solution to the problem of enforcement of the minimum wage as well as addressing the issue of cabotage trips, without imposing unnecessary administrative formalities. Her commitments create confidence, but obviously what count in the end are her concrete actions.’