The European Parliament,

–  having regard to its previous resolutions on the working conditions of road hauliers,

A.  having regard to the extremely difficult circumstances being endured by the road-haulage drivers working for the Kralowetz company and its various subsidiaries, including the Luxembourg company United Continental Lines,

B.  having regard to the unacceptable conditions under which the company employed drivers from eastern European countries,

C.  having regard to the fraudulent schemes of the Austrian company in question, which employs staff on extremely low wages and under conditions which jeopardise its employees’ safety and that of Europe’s road users,

D.  whereas EU legislation has once again proved inadequate as a means of preventing unsafe practices on the part of companies which hire cheap labour with scant regard for the safety of employees working on the road, who have neither statutes nor rights,

1.  Condemns the attitude taken by those responsible for running the company and its various subsidiaries, and calls for the individuals concerned to be judged severely;

2.  Calls for the wages and the other sums of money owed to the employees to be paid immediately;

3.  Welcomes the vote which it held last month in respect of a uniform driver attestation, which is a first step towards effective action in this sphere, and calls on the Member States to transpose the directive in question as soon as possible;

4.  Considers that, as a matter of urgency, the implementation of EU laws which will enable such practices on the part of employers to be prevented must be speeded up, and calls for those laws to be strengthened;

5.  Considers that the checks carried out on Europe’s road-haulage drivers must be stepped up, with particular reference to working time and the terms and conditions under which such drivers are employed;

6.  Calls once again for penalties to be imposed on companies which engage in such practices;

7.  Calls once again for it to be ensured that all road-transport employees enjoy decent working conditions matched by high employment standards which are conducive to safety on Europe’s roads;

8.  Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission and the governments and parliaments of the Member States and of the applicant countries.