Question No 42 by Alain Hutchinson (H-0212/07)

Subject: Blackmail of VW Forest workers - reverse relocations

By making continued activity at VW Forest conditional on greater flexibility and an increase in hours of work without an increase in pay, WW Forest management has blackmailed the workforce over employment. The workers only had the choice of accepting or seeing the factory close. In its resolution of 14 March 2006 on relocation in the context of regional development, the European Parliament called for measures to be contemplated against this type of employment blackmail, which might be termed ‘reverse’ relocation as it results in poorer working conditions without relocation of the company's activities.

Can the Commission say what measures it will propose to prevent reverse relocations that lead to a deterioration in working conditions without relocation of the company's activities?