Upon the arrival in Copenhagen of the morning’s ship from Poland Søren Søndergaard, an MEP and a leader of the People’s Movement against the European Union, demanded that the parliament and government should ensure that foreign labour is not subjected to unacceptable and highly dangerous working conditions.
Ole Nors Nielsen and Søren Søndergaard (with megaphone) welcomed Polish workers with breakfast-bread and leaflets
Photo: http://folkebevaegelsen.dk
When the 8 am ferry arrived from Swinoujscie, Poland, on June 3rd, more than 100 activists from a number of trade unions welcomed it with red flags, sandwiches and leaflets in Polish. [1]
There were two speeches by candidates of the People’s Movement against the EU (Folkebevaegelsen): Ole Nors Nielsen, a leader of the dockworkers’ union; and MEP Søren Søndergaard, the lead candidate.
“I welcome the Polish and Eastern European workers to Denmark. The People’s Movement against the EU support the workers’ right to go to other countries in search of work.. But we can not accept that foreign workers are abused by social dumping and subjected to unacceptable and often fatal workplaces” said Søndergaard in his speech.
“Unfortunately, the EU today allows the under-payment of foreign workers. It must be stopped. That’s why the People’s Movement therefore calls on the government and parliament to decide that foreign workers must work according to Danish standards. Work performed in Denmark, must be performed by existing Danish agreements.” [2]
There should be equal work on equal terms: that is the clear message from Søndergaard.
For more information, contact: Søren Søndergaard, MEP for the People’s Movement, on 40 45 38 49 / soren folkebevaegelsen.dk [3]
NOTES
[1] Both Denmark’s major television stations also attended and broadcast live from the event.
[2] These are collective agreements between trade unions and employers’ organisations,
[3] Original: http://folkebevaegelsen.dk/spip.php?article1663 Translation: International Viewpoint.