Even though both Denmark and the EU have made an effort to put an end to wage dumping in the area of ​​transport, Minister of Transport Benny Engelbrecht (S) does not expect cases of very low-paid foreign drivers transporting goods to end. in Denmark.

He tells MobilityWatch in connection with the launch of a new initiative that will tighten the rules in the area in connection with combined transport, ie. when road transport is coupled with other modes of transport.

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Last year, the Folketing entered into an agreement to ensure proper wages in the area in Denmark, and at the same time, the EU finally agreed on the so-called road package, which, among other things, is to prevent wage dumping. Nevertheless, the Minister predicts that there will be both unconscious but also deliberate violations of the rules:

"We will probably see cases where there is someone who violates the framework and the legislation that is part of the road package. I actually expect that. If nothing else then because there will be someone who thinks: Go it, then it goes, "Benny Engelbrecht told MobilityWatch.

Cases below the surface

As mentioned, the EU road package aims to prevent wage dumping and ensure better working conditions for drivers in general. The rules will be phased in over the coming years, but in Denmark a majority in the Folketing already at the beginning of 2020 agreed on an agreement that aims to ensure that drivers who drive bus and freight transport in Denmark receive a salary equivalent to Danish drivers' .

The political agreement came in the wake of the case of the haulage company Kurt Beier, which caused political stir back in 2018. Here, footage from a camp in Padborg showed foreign drivers from the Philippines and Sri Lanka who were housed under extremely primitive conditions and allegedly worked for wages entirely. down to DKK 15 per hour.

Since then, the prosecution has filed charges for, among other things, usury of a particularly serious nature against the company, and several leading persons are required to be sentenced to prison.

Although the Danish agreement was largely spurred on by the Kurt Beier case, it would not prevent a fundamental element in the case, as the Sri Lankan and Filipino drivers were employed by the Danish haulage company's Polish subsidiary and therefore could work under poor conditions and Low salary. Conversely, the EU roadmap must address this.

But despite the new rules in the area, Benny Engelbrecht will not rule out that new cases may arise. He says, however, that he "does not necessarily" believe that one will see cases that are "as glaring" as the Kurt Beier case:

"But let's see now. It may be that there are things that come to the surface that may not have been known before. I will not reject that in advance. But I hope, of course, that it will mostly be companies, who have not familiarized themselves with the new rules. "

Control becomes crucial

The Danish agreement from 2020 has entered into force on 1 January this year and also entails increased control of foreign hauliers, who must register in a new register. In this way, the Danish authorities must be able to follow who is driving cabotage in Denmark, and at the same time be able to check that the drivers receive the salary they are entitled to.

The control part, which takes place under the auspices of the Danish Transport Authority, is not yet fully in place, and this is exactly one of the things that Benny Engelbrecht is looking forward to landing.

"It's some of it that's the most crucial thing, and where we're laying the rails while we drive," he says.

How can one be sure that the drivers or their hauliers are actually registering?

"It is as with everything else that if you are not registered and are stopped, the hammer falls. The purpose is of course also to ensure that there is a sufficient deterrent effect in that you have a risk of being detected by control. "But it will certainly mean that there will be a transition period where there will be someone who has not necessarily registered," the minister said.

The sanctions for not reporting information to the new register amount to fines of up to DKK 10,000. Failure to comply with the salary level can result in fines of at least DKK 35,000.