On Monday, ABVV-BTB and ABVV-Metaal union activists handed out leaflets about social dumping at the De Hulst business park, the largest business park in Flanders.
The unions want to draw attention to how subcontractors are often exploited due to pressure coming from clients, often large multinational companies who use their bargaining power to squeeze prices down significantly. At the end of the day, however, these clients often remain unaffected by inspections or penalties in the event its subcontractor decides to flout the law in order to make its contract profitable.
However, the unions want to change this and make clients accountable, too.
In addition, many employees in these companies do not realize that their employer is participating in and perpetuating social dumping, the unions’ campaign stresses.
“With our action, we want to make employees aware that their employer may itself be the cause of social dumping by their subcontracting chain that always call for a cheaper price,” explains Tom Peeters, deputy of the federal secretary for road transport and logistics at BTB-ABVV.
The unions now demand the recruitment of more inspectors against social dumping, tax and social fraud.
“As long as social dumping, fraud and exploitation of workers are not eradicated, the government must recruit inspectors permanently,” the organisations state.