Poland, Hungary challenge tighter EU labor rules in court, cite protectionism

Hungary and Poland said on Thursday that they have gone to the European Court of Justice to challenge tighter European Union rules on the employment of workers from low-pay EU states. The issue of “posted” workers has divided poor east and rich west EU states for years, with France leading efforts to tighten rules. Poland and Hungary have sought to block reforms. A new EU directive, announced in July, would limit the right of citizens from poorer member states to work in richer ones on a low salary. That reform “does not serve the protection of posted workers but in fact… is a tool for protectionism,” the Hungarian government said on Thursday. It added that Budapest had gone to the European Court of Justice to get the directive annulled. Poland said that it had also challenged the reform in the ECJ.