French president Emmanuel Macron criticized Poland today, August 25, saying the country’s opposition to new rules on labour is marginalizing the country, as Bloomberg reports.
“Speaking in Bulgaria’s Black Sea port of Varna at the beginning of a European diplomatic blitz, Macron campaigned to end the “social dumping” that he says occurs when workers from low-wage countries are hired in other EU nations at their own pay levels for extended periods. He wants to shorten the period for the exemption,” the media says.
For Macron, the issue is important, as he wants to revitalize labour policy in France, where many employees from low-wage eastern European countries come to work for less money than it would take to hire locals.
Polish authorities don’t agree with Macron’s words. Prime Minister Beata Szydlo said Macron’s comments were “arrogant”, and that she wouldn’t stop protecting the rights of Polish workers, while Foreign Minister Witold Waszczykowski said that “Poland isn’t isolated,” citing his meetings on Friday with the NATO Secretary General and the foreign ministers of Romania and Turkey.
