Union-Pandering Surrender Monkeys

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lorries

Irish Lorries boarding the car ferry at Rosslare heading for Cherbourg, France

 

Eamon Delaney of the free market think tank Hibernia Forum, writes:

The French Government intends to press on with their plans to enforce the French minimum wage law for transit workers, even for Irish workers from July1

Ireland has the second highest minimum wage in Europe (second only to Luxembourg).

However, when calculated on the basis of a 35 hour week, the French minimum wage equates to €9.61 per hour, against Ireland’s €9.15.

Irrespective of this fact, there is no justification in law for the French (or any other member state) to impose their domestic laws on transiting workers.

This is against the spirit and letter of the Single Market, and a blatant infringement upon the rights of free movement of people, goods and services. It is also only one of a number of creeping administrative measures on the continent that are reducing free movement.

It is not merely the minimum wage itself, but the imposition of more administrative burden on transit operators to demonstrate compliance. It slows everything down, and completely defeats the purpose of the Single Market.

In the case of the French Government., it also appears to be pandering to a trade union movement that is not interested in compromise in any case….[more at link below]

French minimum wage rule will hit Irish companies and should be postponed (Eamon Delaney, Hibernia Forum)

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17 thoughts on “Union-Pandering Surrender Monkeys

  1. Kevin M

    Are the Hibernian Forum the extremist wing of the ESRI?

    Neoliberal flag wavers. looking for an excuse.

    1. dav

      they just want workers to know their place and be grateful for their jobs. They can’t be having the workers improving their lot – that might effect the profit line

      1. Rob_G

        I know – people expressing an opinion in a free country that is at variance with the ones you hold – how very dare they!

  2. Niallo

    And we wonder why the brits are having second thoughts.
    This is precisely the sort of behaviour the member states always demonstrate, legislation is made by brussels and adhered to only by the countries ot doesnt affect, apart from us, simple micks like, we take everything So seriously.

  3. Bonkers

    So a Bulgarian truck driver who gets paid about €2 an hour will now get €9.65 an hour when inside French borders. I can’t see much wrong with that but of course people like Eamon Delaney up in his ivory tower always love kicking the ladder away from those below them. All while vaguely proclaiming the end of the free market if this comes to pass. Err, I don’t think so Eamon, now back to the think tank with you and do some proper thinking!

    Fair play to the French I say, their policy will boost the income of thousands of low paid and over worked truck drivers

    1. Wayne.F

      Nothing to do with making things better, the French do protectionism better than anyone and their application of the single market is a farce in many industries

    2. Rob_G

      If we were apply this law across the board, a driver going from France to Bulgaria would earn €9.65 for each hour that he/she drove in France, then a different rate when going through Italy, a lower rate when passing through Slovenia, another rate when passing through Croatia, a much, much lower rate passing through Bosnia, then one for Serbia, then finally a Bulgarian rate. Plus, they would need to have paperwork showing the exact time was spent in each country.

      – dumb law is dumb

  4. Milk teeth

    Oh no workers getting a fair wage! What had this world come to?!?!

    P.s. If anyone thinks the French government are pandering to the unions they must be living under a stone or have purposly ignored all the news about labour market reform Hollande and the huge amount of industrial unrest in France at the moment.

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