Adam Hug
The EU has taken a lot of flak in recent years on the delicate subject of employment and social rights from the right – who call for the return of powers to London citing increasing figures for the perceived costs to British industry - and from the left who see recent European Court of Justice decisions on the Posted Workers Directive and other matters as tilting the established balance of power in favour of employers rather than unions.
The new joint Foreign Policy Centre, TUC and EU Commission Representation in the UK pamphlet Single Market, Equal Rights? makes the case that as there is a framework of rules at a European level for capital, goods and services, the same should apply for labour. A common floor of minimum rights would provide consistency, facilitate the single market for labour and – perhaps most importantly – restrict opportunities for social dumping and a race to the bottom in employment rights.
