Keep on truckin' ... if you're Belgian

In an investigative feature on "The harsh life of East European truckers," De Morgen reports that drivers who hail from Bulgaria, Romania, Poland and Moldavia are often employed by Belgian logistics companies with offices in Eastern Europe, where employers can take advantage of lower wages and much more flexible labour laws. A practice that is "the bane of Belgians," who worry that they may soon be out of work, is nonetheless "a solution for East European truckers" who take home larger salaries than their colleagues working for local businesses. That said, the Flemish daily notes that their life "is far from enviable." In general, the East Europeans spend three weeks on the road, cooking, eating and sleeping on board their trucks. Only then do they benefit from a week off during which they can return home.

Although the companies concerned insist that there is "nothing illegal" in the way they manage their staff, the newspaper explains that the Belgian Transport Workers Union (UBOT) believes it has "sufficient grounds to go to court". In a bid to prevent companies from employing foreign workers, UBOT is demanding that "East Europeans benefit from the same pay scales as their Belgian counterparts".