IRU refuses new law applies to all transport operations in Germany

IRU calls for immediate moratorium on enforcement of German minimum wage in international road transport, including transit traffic

The International Road Transport Union (IRU)  calls on German authorities to  immediately implement a moratorium on enforcement of the new German minimum wage law for international transport operators, which entered into force on 1 January 2015, following Chancellor Merkel’s recognition of related problems while speaking at a New Year’s reception of the CDU District Association in Greifwald.

The IRU also urges Member States and the European Commission (EC) to support a moratorium on the enforcement of the minimum wage requirement on international freight and passenger transport operations, including transit or point to point international transports.

Michael Nielsen, IRU General Delegate to the EU, said, “According to German authorities’ interpretation, the new law applies to all transport operations in Germany, even when a truck is simply transiting the country for a few hours. It is not acceptable that German authorities can impose fines on companies of up to 500,000 EUR when there is no legal clarity and no practical information has been made available to operators.”

Upon the IRU’s initiative, the impact of German minimum wage will be discussed during the extraordinary meeting of the International Transport Forum Group (ITF) on road transport being held from 5-6 February 2015 in Paris. The IRU urges ITF members to fully support its call to establish a moratorium.

www.iru.org

Quelle: LogEastics
Portal: www.logistik-express.com