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The European Federation of Building and Woodworkers (EFBWW) is deeply alarmed by the Communication from the European Commission on the Single Market Strategy. Although the document explicitly recognises the construction sector as a risk sector in terms of workers’ rights, it fails to propose appropriate legislative actions such as binding enforcement rules, limits on subcontracting, a ban on agencies and intermediaries in posting in construction or protection against evasion of the rules.
The Single Market Strategy as proposed by the Executive Vice-President for Prosperity and Industrial Strategy, Stéphane Séjourné, will be a ruthless blow on labour rights, leaving workers at the mercy of unscrupulous companies with the blessing of the European Commission.
The document focuses on reducing regulatory and administrative rules without providing the necessary labour protection. The Commissions call “to appoint Internal Market sherpas in the prime minister’s or president’s office with authority towards all parts of the government”, mandatory Single Market tests, and a Single Market Barriers Act risks to undermine existing legislations that aim to protect workers rights and guarantee fair competition. It will also effectively limit the capacity of EU policymakers, national governments, and social partners to take firm action and propose new legislation for a more regulated and more social internal market.
The proposed SME ID tool based on self-declaration and the possibility to set-up companies online, within 48 hours, according to a European level 28th regime will allow those companies to bypass national law and are an open door to fraudulent companies, for letterbox companies and for the exploitation of workers.
The EFBWW welcomes the announcement of the Launch of a Fair Labour Mobility Package in 2026, including the strengthening of the European Labour Authority (ELA), however fails to see how this can be done within the broader Single Market Strategy as proposed today.
This proposal must go back to the drawing board. The EFBWW calls on the European Parliament and the Council to reject this direction and demand a fundamental reorientation of the Strategy. Effective enforcement must be the priority. The EU must act to bring about joint liability in subcontracting chains and to put limits on the subcontracting of workers in the construction sector. The Commission itself acknowledges that construction is a high-risk sector for abuse and yet, this Strategy proposes to remove the very mechanisms that protect workers in it.
Social security rules, labour rights, health and safety rules are not a burden; they are a pillar of a fair internal market and of the long-term sustainability of the Single Market. This strategy must recognise that companies are only as successful as its workers.
EFBWW General Secretary, Tom Deleu: “This proposal is unacceptable. This is the past coming back, the European Commission risks repeating the deregulatory mistakes of the Barroso and Bolkestein eras, who are coming back to haunt workers. Social rights are an intrinsic part of the Single Market. They cannot be disregarded. Implementing this proposal is the perfect recipe for a single, simple and seamless market of fraudulent companies and exploited workers”.