Transport working time: SMEs deeply concerned by Parliament Committee’s vote

28 April 2010
by UEAPME -- last modified 28 April 2010

This morning’s vote in the European Parliament’s Employment Committee on the transport working time directive will harm self-employed workers and restrict their freedom to organise their work according to their needs, according to UEAPME, the European craft and SME employers’ organisation.

MEPs adopted a draft legislative resolution to reject a proposal by the European Commission on the revision of rules on the working time of mobile road transport workers.

If the Commission proposal is rejected, self-employed workers would in practice be covered by the current rules, which strictly limit working times on grounds of road safety. This would also mean leaving aside provisions which would provide significant improvement in the fight against false self-employment.

UEAPME strongly hopes that the vote which is expected to take place during the June plenary session of the Parliament will go against the opinion expressed in the committee.

"UEAPME is very disappointed by this morning's vote. By rejecting the European Commission's proposal, MEPs are sanctioning self-employed workers and depriving them of their prerogative to organise their work as they see fit", said Liliane Volozinskis, Director for Social Policy at UEAPME.

"Arguments according to which the Commission's proposal would create a threat to road safety are invalid. All drivers, whatever their employment status, are already subject to the strict existing EU rules on driving time and rest periods.

"The Parliament's plenary should take a more sensible approach and support the Commission's proposal, which is the only reasonable way forward to tackle the sensitive issue of false self-employment in the sector."

UEAPME is the employers' organisation representing the interests of European crafts, trades and SMEs at EU level. UEAPME is a recognised European Social Partner. It is a non-profit seeking and non-partisan organisation. As the European SME umbrella organisation, UEAPME incorporates 84 member organisations from 34 countries consisting of national cross-sectorial SME federations, European branch federations and other associate members, which support the SME family. UEAPME represents more than 12 million enterprises, which employ around 55 million people across Europe.

UEAPME - the European craft and SME employers’ organisation