Labour violations alleged at new US embassy site in Netherlands

Labour laws were violated in the construction of the new United States embassy in Wassenaar, AD reports. Employees structurally had to work overtime and foreign workers did not have the right papers, according to the newspaper. The Social Affairs and Employment Inspectorate is investigating.

People who worked on the embassy told the newspaper that they worked up to 60 hours a week, including Saturday.Workers who protested were sent away. Union FNV's safety hotline also received several complaints about safety at the site.

Workers were hired as highly skilled migrants - a system that makes it easier to get work permits for highly qualified foreign personnel - while most of them aren't hihgly skilled workers, according to the newspaper.

The main contractor for the constuction is American company Caddell. According to the newspaper, the American company hired a Turkish contractor, who then hired a Romanian subcontractor.