European Trade Union Institute Bd du Roi Albert II, 5 1210 Brussels Belgium +32 (0)2 224 04 70 [email protected] www.etui.org Posting of workers before national courts Edited by Zane Rasnača and Magdalena Bernaciak Intra-EU employee posting remains a politically and legally contentious matter that continues to Posting of workers feature on the agendas of lawmakers, trade unions and researchers alike. Numerous cases brought before the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU), as well as recent and ongoing revisions of the posting-related EU legal framework, suggest that problems are arising from clashing legal before national courts competences, weak enforcement and the breach and/or circumvention of posted workers’ rights. Furthermore, until now there were virtually no accounts detailing issues related to the application of posting legislation in disputes at the national level. — Edited by This book fills that gap by offering a comparative analysis of national case law on posting- a and Magdalena Bernaciak a and Magdalena Bernaciak related matters in 11 EU Member States: Bulgaria, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, č Zane Rasnača and Magdalena Bernaciak the Netherlands, Latvia, Poland, Portugal and Slovenia. The individual chapters focus on the main debates at the national level and the available case law, with a particular focus on who litigates, in which situations and exactly about what. In view of the limited extent of posting, the intensity of the debate on the issue and the significant body of existing related case law is a striking and rather surprising finding. The evidence presented courts national before of workers Posting by Zane Rasna Edited in the book shows that cross-border service provision and posting have sparked extensive discussions on workers’ rights, permissible company practices, and, more broadly, the balance between social protection and market freedom in the EU. The analysis of the case law reveals that there is a need to clarify basic terms and legal constructs related to posting because currently there are still doubts concerning the interpretation and application of EU and national rules on cross-border mobility. By providing an insightful and critical analysis of national case law on this issue, the authors of this book offer a novel perspective on the issue of posting which, in part, challenges existing perceptions. Their analysis shows that workers tend to defend their rights in their countries of origin, while posting companies principally litigate in the courts of the host country. There is also a significant overlap in matters litigated before the courts of both low- and high-wage countries, and the concept of posting and related EU-level rules still often collide with similar concepts of national law. Finally, the books highlights some upcoming issues in case law; for example, litigation on the rights of third-country nationals in relation to posting is becoming increasingly prevalent before courts in some countries. D/2020/10.574/01 ISBN: 978-2-87452-564-9 Posting of workers before national courts Posting of workers before national courts — Edited by Zane Rasnača and Magdalena Bernaciak European Trade Union Institute (ETUI) This book has benefited from the editing work of Deborah Mulhearn. ETUI publications are published to elicit comment and to encourage debate. The views expressed are those of the authors alone and do not necessarily represent the views of the ETUI nor those of the members of its general assembly. Brussels, 2020 © Publisher: ETUI aisbl, Brussels All rights reserved Print: ETUI Printshop, Brussels D/2020/10.574/01 ISBN: 978-2-87452-546-9 (print version) ISBN: 978-2-87452-547-6 (electronic version) The ETUI is financially supported by the European Union. The European Union is not responsible for any use made of the information contained in this publication. Contents Zane Rasnača and Magdalena Bernaciak Introduction Posting of workers in the EU: where do we stand? .........................................................................9 Introduction .............................................................................................................................................................. 9 1. Key aspects of legal framework concerning posting ........................................................................10 2. Intra-EU worker posting: trends and numbers ...................................................................................14 3. Analytical framework of the study ..........................................................................................................17 References ...............................................................................................................................................................19 Yaroslava Genova Chapter 1 Posting of workers before Bulgarian courts ....................................................................................21 Introduction ............................................................................................................................................................21 1. Legislative context and structure of the judicial system .................................................................21 2. Political and social context ........................................................................................................................23 3. Salaries, other labour rights and TAS allowance for outbound posted workers .....................24 4. Fines and coercive administrative measures imposed for infringements of posting rules within the framework of the provision of services .................................................................31 5. Social contributions in the case of outbound posted workers ......................................................36 Conclusion ...............................................................................................................................................................38 References ...............................................................................................................................................................39 Natalie Videbaek Munkholm Chapter 2 Posting of workers before Danish courts ..................................................................................................41 Introduction ............................................................................................................................................................41 1. Legal framework on posting of workers and key political debates in Denmark .....................42 2. Overview and evaluation of the national case law on posting (since 2004) ...........................49 Conclusions .............................................................................................................................................................60 References ...............................................................................................................................................................61 Juha Tuovinen Chapter 3 Posting of workers before Finnish courts .........................................................................................65 Introduction ............................................................................................................................................................65 1. Overview of the legal framework on posted workers .......................................................................66 2. National legal debates on posting ..........................................................................................................67 3. Overview of national case law ..................................................................................................................69 Discussion ................................................................................................................................................................74 Conclusion ...............................................................................................................................................................75 References ...............................................................................................................................................................76 List of cases .............................................................................................................................................................76 Posting of workers before national courts 5 Contents Barbara Palli Chapter 4 Posting of workers before French courts ..........................................................................................79 Introduction ............................................................................................................................................................79 1. Legislative protectionism, monitoring, and political debate on posting in France ................80 2. General trends of posting case law .......................................................................................................84 3. Posting before civil courts ..........................................................................................................................85 4. Posting before administrative courts .....................................................................................................97 Conclusions ..........................................................................................................................................................102