Migrant workers in the Netherlands often find themselves in vulnerable and uncertain working conditions, where exploitation seems to be the norm rather than the exception. This is evident from the provocative PhD research of criminologist Ruben Timmerman of Erasmus School of Law, who worked undercover for a year in construction, logistics and food processing.
"A rotten system"
In his dissertation entitled By invisible hands: Work, exploitation, and the migrant division of labour, Timmerman describes how migrant workers in the Netherlands are often underpaid, face unsafe situations, and live under inhumane conditions. His work is an indictment of what he calls a ‘rotten system’: "The problems are not caused by a few bad apples, as is often claimed, but by the structure in which companies and employment agencies systematically shift responsibility."
Timmerman worked through five employment agencies and experienced how migrant workers without experience are expected to perform dangerous tasks, often without supervision or instruction. Pay slips are often not given and overtime hours are missing: "Every Monday, the topic of conversation was: who has been paid?", writes Timmerman.
'Strategic ignorance’
According to Timmerman, who successfully defended his dissertation in early June, not only the employment agencies are responsible, but the system also enables large companies to remain ‘strategically ignorant’ about harmful labour practices in their supply chains: "Companies often use multiple agencies to hire workers. These agencies then also use their own agencies. This results in a complex supply chain whereby companies are often blind to the conditions of migrants on the work floor, and are easily able to avoid their own responsibility for harmful labour practices. Migrant workers are treated as 'hands', not as people," he says.
"The situation has led to a labour market in which inequality and discrimination are deeply embedded. Dutch employees generally enjoy better conditions, while migrants are stuck at the bottom of the market in low-wage difficult work that offers little perspective", Timmerman says. "Many are just one paycheck away from ending up on the street", he warns.
Migrant workers essential but invisible
Timmerman calls on structural reforms: stricter regulation, a reduction in the number of employment agencies, and more permanent contracts for structural work to provide greater security for migrant workers. "In my view, we need to restrict the temporary employment sector as a whole and ensure that agency work is only used for what it was originally intended: short-term seasonal work, and to match job seekers with employers. The companies I worked for routinely used agency workers for permanent, full-time positions. The Netherlands can become a leader in decent work, if we really choose to do so."
Figures show that around 950,000 migrant workers are currently active in the Netherlands. In sectors such as distribution centres and greenhouse horticulture, they are indispensable, but their position remains highly insecure. According to Timmerman, the central question that needs to be asked is: "What do we consider a decent standard of work in the Netherlands?"
- More information
For more information, please contact Ronald de Groot, communications advisor at Erasmus School of Law: rdegroot@ese.eur.nl, mobile: +316 53 641 846.
