Abstract
One of the central arguments of this book is that the EU free movement regime structurally promotes mobility. But what are the consequences for employment when this regime is suspended? This will be examined in more detail in this chapter using the example of an exogenous shock (the COVID-19 pandemic) and a politically induced shock (Brexit). Using three case studies on German agriculture, Austrian 24-hour mobile care, and the British transport sector, the “systemic importance” of migrant labour becomes apparent as well as more broadly the importance of freedom of movement for relatively frictionless transnational labour mobility.
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Notes
- 1.
In multidisciplinary research on the COVID-19 pandemic, the prevailing view seems to be that border closures and travel restrictions did indeed contribute to containing the pandemic. A crucial factor seems to be at what stage of the pandemic the restrictions are imposed. For two recent contributions from different disciplines, see Koopmans (2021) and Nadeau et al. (2021).
- 2.
As of: October 4, 2021, data from the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (https://www.ecdc.europa.eu/en/cases-2019-ncov-eueea).
- 3.
Third-country nationals were often in an even more precarious situation due to their residence status (Rasnača, 2020).
- 4.
Since January 1, 2018, the national minimum wage applies as a wage floor for all workers in agriculture, forestry and horticulture. In July 2022, the minimum wage was raised to €10.45 gross per hour. This wage does not seem unattractive for seasonal workers, who mainly come from Romania, where the average gross monthly wage in March 2021 was just under €1200 (in exchange rates (EURES, 2021). Another question, of course, is whether the minimum wage in Germany is always paid, as some farmers seem to have developed creative circumvention strategies (e.g., Fair Mobility, 2019).
- 5.
In the Federal Ministry of Agriculture, a certain rethinking seems to have taken place, as multilingual digital flyers have been published in cooperation with the EU Equal Treatment Office, which not only inform about hygiene measures and health protection, but also about minimum working conditions in Germany (BMEL, 2021).
- 6.
The term 24-hour care is not without problems, as it suggests the constant availability of caregivers. However, due to its high recognition value, it is still used here.
- 7.
The web addresses of the two initiatives are https://www.vidaflex.at and https://ig24.at.
- 8.
The prerequisite for an unlimited right of residence is a stay of at least five years in the UK.
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Krings, T. (2024). Restricted Mobilities In-Between the COVID-19 Pandemic and Brexit. In: Labour Mobility in the European Union as an Example of the Transnationalization of Employment . Springer, Wiesbaden. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-658-43977-4_6
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