Lorry drivers for Ikea are working long hours for pay so low, they can’t afford to sleep in a bed while they’re on the road.

A new BBC report reveals the terrible pay and conditions facing lorry drivers employed by trucking companies contracted with Ikea. The report profiles drivers like Emilian, who is employed by an Eastern European trucking firms that pays him low Slovakian wages even though he does all his work in Western Europe.

The setup allows trucking firms to skip minimum wage laws of Western European countries, cutting costs for Ikea. But while Ikea adds to its profits, drivers like Emilian are stuck working, eating, and sleeping out of their trucks for months at a time.   

Tell Ikea it can’t tolerate driver exploitation from the trucking firms it hires.

Ikea is doing business with trucking firms that exploit loopholes in EU law requiring that drivers posted away from home be “guaranteed minimum rates of pay” and fair conditions. Emilian said his monthly salary is just 477 euros, compared to the 2,200 euros the average Danish driver makes.    

The low pay leaves Emilian unable to afford to sleep anywhere but in a sleeping bag in the back of his cab. Working, eating, and sleeping in his truck, Emilian says his work leaves him feeling “like a bird in the cage.”

Ikea said it was “saddened” to hear about drivers’ conditions. But Ikea has the power to “change the business model with an eye blink,” said Edwin Atema of trade union FNV. It’s up to Ikea to ensure that the trucking firms it does business with don’t exploit their drivers -- and it’s up to us to hold Ikea accountable.