Fighting labor exploitation is mopping the water up

 Fighting labor exploitation is sometimes "mopping the water off," says the Labor Inspectorate in its annual report. The inspectorate notes in the report how some companies and employment agencies intimidate, treat poorly and subject especially Eastern European migrant workers to strict regulations. "They even deploy thugs." So states the Labor Inspection in its annual report, released late last week.

Knock teams

A factor here is that the migrant workers' employer is often also their landlord. The members of the squabbling squads are often migrant workers themselves, who show up unexpectedly at the homes of "colleagues" to check on compliance with the strict rental rules. According to the inspection, migrant workers are then fined if they leave dirty dishes on the kitchen counter. The "coordinators" who check are given certain privileges, "such as a company car or a larger room.

Employment agencies

According to the inspection, it also happens that employment agencies bring more workers to the Netherlands than they actually need. Upon arrival, candidates are 'selected,' according to the Labor Inspectorate. 'Those who protest or want to see their contract first, they don't need, they are too articulate. And that means: no work, no housing and no pay.'

To do build up a "reservoir," some migrant workers have to wait in housing for work, for example, to step in when someone drops out. They are required to stay in the "waiting rooms," but are not paid.

Tackling rogue practices

The law can sometimes get in the way of tackling malpractice, the inspectorate points out. For example, a "whole series of conditions" must be met before something is actually considered labor exploitation and the Public Prosecution Service (OM) can take up the case. The Court of Audit was also previously critical of the applicable rules. Cases often fail through criminal law, and the fines that the inspectorate can impose are, according to the Court of Auditors, "so low that they hardly have a deterrent effect.

The House of Representatives and the cabinet recently backed a proposal to have the Labor Inspectorate stop work immediately when exploitation is suspected.

The Roemer Committee, led by former SP leader Emile Roemer, drafted a report with proposals on the position of labor migrants in 2020. Municipalities noted earlier this year that the government is waiting too long to introduce measures to improve the position of labor migrants, an NRC survey of the 20 municipalities with the highest percentage of labor migrants revealed.

The FNV says it recognizes the inspection's analyses of the abuses and has also been making this known to the inspection "for many years. "It is therefore of great importance that Roemer's recommendations are immediately implemented by the cabinet. We are now more than two years on and little has changed. The cabinet must make haste," said FNV board member Petra Bolster.

Source: ANP