Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2008-05-20-Speech-2-309"
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"en.20080520.27.2-309"2
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".
Mr President, my group believes that continued and improved protection of workers and consumers is more important than constantly increasing freedom for businesses within the European market. This choice is even more important in relation to cross-border, long-distance transport by bus and lorry than in many other business sectors.
Regulations have applied in the coach transport sector since April 2007 that require coaches to spend one day off the road every six days during a group holiday trip in order to protect the driver from fatigue. We expressly agree with the objective of this measure. Nevertheless, we realise that the method of implementing this causes annoyance, not only to operators and customers, but also to the drivers themselves. I have previously pressed for improvement in the implementation of this by means of agreements with the trade union, the European Transport Workers’ Federation. It is better that drivers be guaranteed rest at home than be forced to do so en route in the midst of surprised and displeased customers. Agreement on this point is good, but we reject any attempts to unilaterally abolish this protection.
There is exasperation in the road freight transport sector because each country has different rules on whether or not freight can be transported when driving back from abroad. As a result of this, lorries too often return largely empty. Nevertheless, it is still too early for the whole of Europe to adopt the system that now functions reasonably between the Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg. Such a system can be implemented only between countries with a similar level of income and social conditions. We have no objections to cross-border solutions if these guarantee all drivers a respectable wage, satisfactory mileage allowance and adequate safety measures. We do object, on the other hand, if in such a system the current large wage differences existing between EU Member States are abused to reduce labour costs. This would mean that everyone earning a respectable income would lose his or her job and then the only people still working in that industry would be doing so based on the current terms and conditions of employment of Poland or Romania, for example.
My group has therefore submitted Amendments 45 and 46 to the report on haulage, in order to make the opening of the market for cabotage dependent upon the development of equal working conditions and an evaluation in 2012."@en1
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