Minister could ban sectors that exploit migrant workers from using them

Minister of Social Affairs Eddy van Hijum is threatening to ban sectors that abuse labor migrants. He said this in an interview with De Telegraaf. The minister is considering this to put an end to abuses in certain sectors, such as the meat industry, which continue despite agreements made.

"It cannot end with only agreements with no obligations with companies and sectors. It starts there, but you need to draw the line somewhere when there is no improvement," Van Hijum told the newspaper. According to him, an alternative to a ban could be a limit on the number of temporary workers that a sector can have. "Progression has to be made now."

Labor migrants working in some sectors risk being fired on the spot when something goes wrong. They often do not receive their outstanding wages and are immediately homeless because they had received their house from the employer.

"Ultimately, you are passing the costs on to society," Van Hijum added. "We need to take that profit model, that you serve the Dutch economy at the expense of people in vulnerable situations, seriously."