Amsterdam gym offered cleaning staff €5,000 each if they'd say they weren't exploited

The Amsterdam luxury gym Saints & Stars offered five cleaners who had come to demand compensation each 5,000 euros, but part of the settlement deal was that they had to say they had “always been well treated.” The cleaners rejected the offer, Parool reported, based on information obtained.

This meeting happened a few days before the Amsterdam newspaper reported that Saints & Stars was exploiting its cleaning staff. According to Parool, the gym forced at least 23 cleaners to surrender their passports and work up to 17 hours a day. They stayed at a villa owned by gym owner Tom Moos and sometimes slept four people to a bed. Some cleaners never received their pay, the newspaper wrote. The manager in charge of the cleaning staff has been suspended.

New information revealed that a few days before that article, five dismissed Filipino cleaners approached a lawyer and together went to Saints & Stars to demand compensation. After negotiations, the gym chain’s lawyer offered them 5,000 euros gross per person, approximately 3,000 euros net. If they wanted the money, they had to agree to say that they had “always been well treated.” They also had to agree not to sue the gym.

The cleaners rejected the offer and said they would take the matter to court. It is not clear when they intend to do so. The lawyer who represented the cleaners declined to comment to Parool.

A spokesperson for Saints & Stars told Parool that “no settlement proposal” has been made. “A lawyer has filed claims against Saints & Stars on behalf of several clients,” the spokesperson said. “As a result, discussions have taken place.”