Poland and Hungary have complained to the European Court of Justice about an EU directive which tightens up labor laws for low-salaried workers sent to richer countries in the bloc, according to Reuters.
The new amendments, which came into force in July, are intended to avoid “social dumping” where foreign employers sending workers abroad are accused of undermining the rights of local workers.
The reforms give more rights to so-called “posted workers,” forcing their employers at home to match the minimum wage in the country where they are temporarily based.
The Hungarian government criticized the reforms as “a tool for protectionism” in a statement on Thursday, while the Polish Deputy Foreign Minister Konrad Szymanski stressed their “protectionist character,” according to local radio.
France is leading the push to reform EU labor laws but Hungary and Poland fear the new rules will disadvantage their own economies.
The reforms must be incorporated into member countries’ national legislation by the end of July 2020.