What’s happening?
A BBC investigation has found that Ikea drivers moving goods in Western Europe are living in their trucks for months on end.
Some drivers who are brought over from poorer countries by lorry firms in Eastern Europe have said they are earning less that £3 an hour.
Some said they cannot afford to live in the areas they work.
One Romanian driver, Emilian can spend up to four months at a time in his truck. He finds himself eating, sleeping and even washing in the vehicle.
His current monthly average is 477 euros (£420), his job is to move goods for Ikea across Western Europe.
Emilian has been in Denmark recently, a Danish driver can take home an average of 2,200 euros (£1,900) a month.
Emilian is currently employed by a Slovakian subsidiary of Norwegian trucking company Bring. He is currently being paid as though he’s working from Slovakia, this is despite the fact he never works there.
According to current EU law, drivers must have at least 45 hours of rest a week, this should be away from their trucks.
Jack Semple, from the Road Haulage Association, told the BBC: “We are seeing far more foreign lorries that are frankly less compliant with drivers’ hours and road-worthiness regulations.”
“There is a road safety risk, and the Treasury is losing a fortune in tax revenue.”
“They have to get a grip on this because big, well-known UK retailers and other companies are making increasing use of these firms because they don’t cost very much.”
Ikea has said it has taken what the drivers have told the BBC “very seriously” and are “saddened by the testimonies”.
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