Dutch board: Migrant workers need permanent contracts

Migrant Worker Safety
Currently, about 88 percent of migrant workers are employed by temporary contracts, usually through employment agencies, according to the Board. This dependence on temporary employment puts migrant workers at risk, and they are reluctant to raise safety issues for fear of being terminated. The Board suggests that new workers are concerned that if they report a safety situation or an unsafe job condition, they will get terminated or will not be able to return to that job site due to an injury.

The research indicates that migrant workers have a higher chance of suffering an accident compared to Dutch employees. The Board estimates that over 200,000 migrant workers in the Netherlands are living and working in a "vulnerable position". The estimates suggest that many of these migrant workers are in unskilled, lower-paying jobs, which are positions that residents would otherwise avoid. Many migrant workers also potentially live in poor accommodation, or face additional travel burden, as well as language problems.

Employers Need to Improve Employment Practices
Chris van Dam, Chair of the OVV, emphasises that many migratory workers are filling structural jobs that exist throughout the year and that it is unreasonable for employers to rely on temporary employment. The OVV estimates that around 80% of workers in some industries (construction, agriculture, horticulture, meat processing, logistics, and large retailers) exist on short-term contracts, even if the work is ongoing.

Van Dam called on employers to take more responsibility for their roles as employers, as a more significant aspect of business responsibility is not to use disposable labour. The Board urged companies to bear more of the burden of treating workers in a more sustainable employment relationship to protect workplace safety.

Investigating the Role of the Labour Inspectorate
The OVV Board also recommended that the man responsible for workplace safety, the Labour Inspectorate, should be stricter about workplace safety and that the Labour Inspectorate use more sustained oversight to prevent situations arising that could create unsafe contexts and place migrant workers, as well as others, in a vulnerable position.