Fair European Labour Mobility (FELM 2)
Current project duration: 01.01.2024 - 31.12.2025
The EU-funded project "Fair European Labour Mobility 2" (FELM 2) is committed to fair working conditions and compliance with labour rights for posted workers within the EU. A transnational counselling network supports those affected in asserting their rights in both the country of posting and the destination country.
Posted workers who work in another EU country for a limited period of time are often in a precarious situation. Short-term employment relationships, high mobility and a lack of knowledge of their rights lead to frequent violations of labour law and social standards. This is made even more difficult by the complex legal situation between the country of origin and the destination country. With a comprehensive, transnational advisory approach, FELM 2 relies on close cooperation between trade union-affiliated advice centres in several countries of origin and destination.
Fair Mobility works with trade union organisations in eight countries as part of FELM 2. In many transnational cases, targeted cross-border cooperation between the counsellors is indispensable and can help the affected employees more quickly and effectively.
The project includes trade union counselling centres in the following countries
- Bulgaria: KNSB/CITUB - Confederation of Independent Trade Unions of Bulgaria
- Hungary: Vasas - Hungarian Metalworkers' Union
- Poland: OPZZ - All Poland's Alliance of Trade Unions
- Romania: BNS - National Trade Union Bloc
- Serbia: SSSS - Alliance of Independent Trade Unions of Serbia
- Slovenia: ZSSS - The Association of Free Trade Unions of Slovenia
- Austria: ÖGB - Austrian Trade Union Federation
You can find the contact details of these counselling centres on the FELM website and here on our website.
Measures
- Counselling centres: Support for posted workers with labour and social law issues and the enforcement of their rights, out-of-court conflict resolution.
- Workshops and traineeships: Regular qualification measures and knowledge transfer between counsellors in the countries of origin and destination.
- Transnational conference: Exchange of knowledge with trade unions, political decision-makers and academics.
- Case documentation and information dissemination: Documentation and processing of selected cases and implementation of educational formats via social media.
Project organiser:IQ Consult gGmbH
Contact
Project management
Michaela Dälken
Email:m.daelken@iq-consult.de
Phone: +49 (0)211 4301 197
Project coordination
Alexandra Kramer
Email:a.kramer@iq-consult.de
Phone: +49 (0)211 4301 207
Philipp Möcklinghoff
E-mail: p.moecklinghoff@iq-consult.de
Phone: +49 (0)211 4301 206
Former projects
EU project Transfair
Better protect lorry drivers from exploitation
The "TransFair" project is supported by co-operation partners from seven European countries.
The aim of the project is to intensify the exchange of experience on how trade unions can effectively inform lorry drivers about their rights and protect them from exploitation in both their country of origin and their country of work. At the same time, a survey will be carried out among inspection institutions on their procedures. This will be accompanied by a survey of the working conditions of lorry drivers in international road transport.
The project was launched on 1 January 2020 and will run for two years. Trade unions, research institutions and health and safety authorities are involved. The partners already have a wealth of expertise on which business models are currently causing problems in the industry and how drivers whose labour rights are being systematically violated can be supported. Two research institutions from Austria (FORBA) and Belgium (KU Leuven/HIVA) are analysing the existing experience.
The further development of trade union support structures mainly takes place in bilateral tandems. The tandem partners can also deal with cases of labour exploitation across borders.
Fair Mobility supports the project as an "Associated Partner" and contributes its experience in the field of counselling drivers from Central and Eastern Europe. Together with the Solidarnosc trade union from Poland, Fair Mobility forms one of three bilateral tandems. Further tandems exist between trade unions from Belgium (BTB-ABVV) and the Czech Republic (OSD) as well as from Austria (ÖGB-vida) and Slovenia (NSDS).
The third part of the project is being realised under the coordination of the Czech NGO (MKC): With a survey, "TransFair" wants to understand the approach to controls by the mostly nationally operating control institutions and identify best-practice examples. Other associated partners are the European Transport Workers' Federation (ETF), trade unions from Serbia (Catus) and Slovenia (ZSSS), as well as the Vienna Chamber of Labour and labour inspectorates from Slovenia and Belgium.
Four international meetings of all partners and several meetings in the bilateral tandems will take place during the project period. A project website and various publications for multipliers and handouts for lorry drivers will also be produced.
The project is taking place at an exciting time, when the implementation of various relevant EU initiatives is expected:
- The implementation of the revised Posting of Workers Directive, which aims to provide equal working and pay conditions for local and mobile workers in the same location.
- The final adoption of the long-negotiated Mobility Package as a regulatory package for international road transport.
- The launch of the European Labour Authority as a coordinating body for national supervisory authorities.