Hundreds of domestic workers protest in The Hague over cabinet asylum plans

Several hundred cleaners and domestic workers marched in The Hague on Sunday to protest asylum proposals from the outgoing Dutch cabinet, warning that stricter rules would leave “migrant domestic workers” vulnerable to exploitation and rights violations.

The demonstration, organized by the union FNV Schoonmaak, began outside Den Haag Centraal station. Protesters marched past the Hofvijver and through the city center before returning to their starting point. Participants carried banners reading "Make Empathy Great Again," "I want to pay taxes," and "Protect people, not borders." A Dutch flag displayed the message, “Whoever is here, belongs here."

Organizers, many of whom are cleaners, addressed the crowd from a stage. “We want recognition and respect for our work and our contribution. We are workers, not criminals, and we have rights. This law is unlawful,” they said.

One speaker, formerly employed at the Amsterdam gym Saints & Stars, described abusive conditions: “A place of pain. We were traded; we were threatened if we complained or called in sick. Our passports were taken. We had to sleep on the floor. When we escaped, we ended up in another prison, without papers.”

Saints & Stars gym has had a situation, first reported at the end of July, when Filipino and Indonesian cleaners faced severe exploitation, including being forced to surrender passports, work 17-hour shifts, share beds with strangers, and, in some cases, lose their EU residency rights. The management team has been suspended, and the gym has filed a legal counterclaim against unknown individuals for slander, libel, and an "attempted extortion."