Union flooded with complaints over Primark working conditions

Over this weekend union FNV received complaints from hundreds of employees and former employees of the 16 Primark branches in the Netherlands. The union launched an investigation into the working conditions at the clothing chain after workers in Groningen complained last week about intimidation, heavy workloads, ignored health complaints and being watched in staff areas, AD reports.

According to the union, they received about 600 complaints in all. The complaints came from across the 16 branches, but were not evenly distributed. "Eindhoven is one of the branches with the most reports", FNV director Niels Suijker said to the newspaper. He added that it is still to early to tell what exactly is going on, but the complaints paint a negative picture.

Following the complaints from Primark workers in Groningen last week, PvdA parliamentarians John Kerstens and Tjeerd van Dekken posed parliamentary questions about the matter on Friday, NU.nl reports. Minister Lodewijk Asscher of Employment called on Primark employees to report problems.

"Primark cares about the well-being of employees", a spokesperson said to AD. "We treat all employees fairly and want them to enjoy their work. We take the allegations very seriously and can confirm that Primark's guidelines, policies and procedures are in line with the Dutch collective bargaining agreement."