Under EU law, non-EU workers of all categories have a right to be informed on their labour rights and available remedies. In various reports, FRA and the European Commission have noted gaps in the provision of information. This is reported in FRA’s 2021 report on protecting migrant workers in an irregular situation and in the European Commission’s report on posted workers in the implementation report of the posted workers directive, published in 2024.

Workplace inspectors are well placed to provide migrant workers with relevant information. This may be achieved by:

• providing information on labour rights as early and as proactively as possible during inspections;
• providing information through awareness-raising campaigns, together with relevant national authorities, that target both workers and employers during inspections;
• providing information through cooperation with third parties trusted by migrant worker communities, such as trade unions and relevant civil society organisations;
• providing workers with practical and concrete information about their rights and give information leaflets and their contact details to workers they meet during inspections;
• providing workers with information about their right to equal pay and to backpay (payment of due salaries), how to claim it and contact details of organisations that can support them;
• following up with workers after the inspection directly, if possible;
• providing at least the most important information in several languages;
• using a variety of information channels such as multilingual websites, one-stop-shops, hotlines, online platforms, posters or billboards, social media, videos and leaflets.