Jeremy Corbyn and Keir Starmer are pretending to believe that the EU is the guardian of workplace rights and that the Brexit deal will lead to wholesale dismantling of workplace protections. But Jeremy Corbyn is well aware that the European Court of Justice (ECJ) is no friend of trade unions. In two landmark cases in 2007, Viking and Laval, it put the interests of employers above those of workers. It used its powers to enforce one of the leading dogmas of globalisation, namely that nothing should obstruct businesses that want to relocate or provide a service in another country, even if their intention is to drive down pay and conditions.
Viking was a Finnish passenger ferry company that operated a vessel between Helsinki and Tallin, in Estonia. It sailed under the Finnish flag and paid wages under a Finnish collective agreement. Viking tried to reflag to Estonia and planned to pay lower wages.
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