- Germany plans to double the number of work visas for people from the Western Balkans, from the current 25.000 per year to 50.000, Deutsche Welle (DW) reported today.

In this regard, German unions warn that foreign workers can be abused as cheap labor to their own detriment, but also to the detriment of other workers.

The board member of the Confederation of German Trade Unions (DGB), Evelyn Roeder, warned that migrant workers are highly dependent on the employer they work for, as their job is linked to their residence permit, raising fears that they will be sent back. if they are disobedient.

- In addition, migrant workers often do not speak German and are not informed about their rights, so they agree to working conditions that are worse than those prescribed by law, said Reder.

According to her, the employment of foreign workers should be allowed only in companies that have a collective agreement.

Due to the constant lack of labor in the country, the German Government plans to liberalize the legislation on labor migration, and part of that package is the so-called "Western Balkan rule", which should be discussed on March 1.

The rule foresees two important changes: on the one hand, the limitation of the validity of this measure until the end of 2023 should be abolished, that is, it should become permanent in the future. And on the other hand, the quota for labor migrants from the Western Balkans is expected to double - from the current 25.000 annually to 50.000.

The "Western Balkans rule" was introduced after the large wave of refugees in 2015 and 2016, and the aim was to solve two problems: preventing the uncontrolled arrival of asylum seekers and alleviating the labor shortage.