Apr 7, 2008

C-346/06 Rüffert

EU trade unions condemn court for minimum wage ruling

EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS - European trade unions have strongly criticised the latest EU court judgement on the right of member states to set minimum wages for foreign workers saying it is an "invitation to social dumping."

The judgement, delivered on Thursday (3 April) by the bloc's highest court, concerned a Polish subcontractor of German company Objekt und Bauregie which paid employees only 46.5% of the minimum wage prescribed by Lower Saxony for work on a public site. The court found in favour of the company on grounds of the freedom to provide services, one of the core principles of the EU's internal market.

Read more: EUobserver

3 comments:

Q said...

Ukratko, ECJ je prihvatio mišljenje AG Bot rekavši da propisana minimalna plaća u državi primateljici koja je viša od one u državi poslovnog nastana davatelja usluga može biti restrikcija u smislu 49 EC.

37 As the Advocate General stated at point 103 of his Opinion, by requiring undertakings performing public works contracts and, indirectly, their subcontractors to apply the minimum wage laid down by the ‘Buildings and public works’ collective agreement, a law such as the Landesvergabegesetz may impose on service providers established in another Member State where minimum rates of pay are lower an additional economic burden that may prohibit, impede or render less attractive the provision of their services in the host Member State. Therefore, a measure such as that at issue in the main proceedings is capable of constituting a restriction within the meaning of Article 49 EC.

Sentinel said...

Čini mi se da se ovo pitanje ima potencijala pretvorit u zanimljivu sagu (prvo Laval, a nedugo potom ovo) poput one koja je krenula odlukom u predmetu Dassonvill (sloboda kretanja robe) ili onom koja je krenula odlukom Kalanke (mogućnost pozitivne akcije u području jednakosti spolova).

Isto tako mi se čini da bi mogli vidjeti neke zanimljive implikacije ovakvog stajališta. Tu me posebno zanima kako će sada reagirati sindikati. Mogli bi npr. vidjeti neku vrstu čvršće integracije nacionalnih sindikalnih organizacija u zajedniču Europsku organizaciju. Isto tako me ne bi čudilo da krene pritisak da se ustanovi neki zajednički minimalac za sve države članice, iako mi se pozitivan uspjeh takve politike čini kao SF priča.

Q said...

Logika ECJ-a je ista kao u Cassisu. Mjere s dvostrukim teretom su nedopuštene osim ako nisu opravdane važnim javnim interesom koji se interpretira restriktivno. Meni je još zanimljivo što u para. 43 ECJ izričito kaže da direktivu interpretira u svjetlu Čl. 49. UEZ. Naravno, to je opće poznato, ali je ipak korisno naglasiti.