Fair Labour Mobility network helps EU citizens working abroad secure wages and benefits

Advice where people actually work

Millions of Europeans work outside their home countries, and some of them do not receive the wages and social benefits they are entitled to. To help such workers, the Fair Labour Mobility EU network is in operation: advisers from eight countries go out, for example, to a roadside parking area near Ljubljana, hand out leaflets and talk to drivers about working conditions, rest times and pay. This is reported by euronews.

Typical violations and the project's results

Slovenian truck driver Goran Jovanovic told the outlet that many drivers are 'not paid in accordance with the collective agreement, as they should be', but at fixed rates per working day and per kilometre driven. Marko Tanasic, an adviser with the ZSSS trade union confederation, notes that people working abroad 'badly need' reliable information because they are 'to a certain extent left to fend for themselves'.

Scale and new European Commission measures

The project's budget this year is 1.2 million euros, 90% of which is provided by the European Union. In 2024–2025, the project helped nearly 3,000 workers secure their labour and social rights. The enquiries concern unpaid social insurance contributions, workplace accidents, unacceptable housing conditions and underpayment; cases often span several countries at once.

The European Commission's package of measures

In parallel, the European Commission has presented a package of measures to ensure fair labour mobility. It pursues three goals: to speed up the mutual recognition of professional qualifications between countries, to create a digital wallet for storing and exchanging social security documents, and to expand the powers of the European Labour Authority in combating fraud. This is, for now, only a presented initiative; the publication does not say whether it has been adopted or when it will be implemented.