Mobility package: the most important points to remember
The legislative package aims to improve working conditions for truck drivers. It also aims to ensure fair competition in the European single market.
Drivers will no longer be obliged to drive long hours and spend their weekends in parking lots.
- Drivers must spend their minimum 45-minute break outside their trucks.
- Drivers have to return to company headquarters every 3 or 4 weeks
- They can no longer spend the 45-hour weekend in their truck. The employer is obliged to pay for a hotel room or find a suitable solution.
- The truck must return to head office every eight weeks
This measure has another hidden agenda. To reduce the competitiveness of Eastern European haulage companies, as they could eventually lose lucrative contracts in Western Europe if they can no longer guarantee low prices.
Mobility package: better protection for road transport workers
The agreement provides better protection for road transport workers. For example, posting law in the road haulage sector was only applied by France and three other member states on their territories. The same law now applies throughout the European Union.
💡 What is the posting of workers?
Directive 96/71/EC of December 16, 1996, aims to combat "social dumping". However, posted employees remain subject to the legislation of their Member State of origin. Provided that the foreseeable duration of the work does not exceed 24 months, and that he/she is not sent to replace a person who has reached the end of his/her posting (regulation no. 883/2004).
It's a subject that has long been a thorn in the relationship between Western and Eastern Europe. For a very long time, some drivers had to be moved away from their families and countries to cope with growing demand.
According to agreement drivers have the option of two consecutive days of reduced weekly rest for international traffic, followed by a normal compensated weekly rest at home.
As for French drivers, who are protected by more protective rules, they will continue to be subject to current regulations.
As far as working hours are concerned, few changes are to be expected. No changes have been made to the rules governing driving time. Driving times will be limited to avoid accidents and ensure worker safety.
Mobility package: several European countries have already lodged appeals
Unsurprisingly, road haulage employees welcomed the news with enthusiasm.
This is not the case for all the bosses, who accuse the European Union of haste. In their view, there aren't enough parking lots and parking areas. They also point to the lack of hotels to implement the project.
Lithuania prepares legal action against mobility package. The Lithuanian government believes that "the measures adopted are detrimental to their drivers and businesses". "Eastern European countries will not be able to apply all these provisions and will therefore be excluded from the single market", it added.
Romania is contesting the package. It is asking the European Commission to guarantee a harmonized legal framework at European level.
But according to the European Transport Federation, which helped draft the package, the texts are well balanced. Some Central European countries have voted in favor of these texts, which proves their effectiveness.
It is therefore highly unlikely that the European Court of Justice will block the entry into force of the Mobility Package. Indeed, these texts were essentially aimed at the policy of "social dumping" by Eastern European countries.
All that remains is to ensure that these measures are properly applied by employers.
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