Plaid MEP Jill Evans has attacked the Conservatives for letting down Welsh workers once again by voting against a law to control subcontractors who exploit workers.

She was speaking in Strasbourg after an important vote in the European Parliament on subcontractor liability, which was adopted with 321 votes to 235, meaning that the Conservatives and their allies lost the vote.

Jill Evans, who represents the whole of Wales in the European Parliament, said:

“As we have seen from recent disputes, the practice of subcontracting across Europe has resulted in undercutting wages and working conditions. Subcontracting is used by some, especially in the construction industry, as a means of exploiting workers and getting away with it. If often leads to a race to the bottom in terms of rights and conditions as employers compete with each other for lower labour costs.

"Eight EU member countries have brought in their own liability schemes. These have worked well and in Germany it led to posted workers getting back payments worth thousands of pounds.

"But a European law is needed for when subcontracting takes place across borders. Companies have to be responsible for the conditions of workers employed by people they subcontract work to. We are calling for "joint and several liability" which would ensure this. We also want to see campaigns to inform workers about their rights.

“Plaid Cymru is on the side of Welsh workers. By opposing a new law, the Tories have shown once again that they put profit before people.”

Diwedd/Ends.

NOTES:

Here is the text

13. Reiterates its message by calling on the Commission to establish a clear-cut Community legal instrument introducing joint and several liability at Community level, while respecting the different legal systems in place in the Member States and the principles of subsidiarity and proportionality;

This means that the Parliament has adopted the text which calls on the Commission to come forward with legislation on joint and several Liability and condemns strongly illegal practice in the field of subcontracting.