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ELA

Labour exploitation in the meat industry revealed in cross-border inspections

The European Labour Authority (ELA) supported inspections of working and living conditions of mostly Romanian workers employed in the meat industry in the Netherlands. More than 100 officers from Germany, the Netherlands and Romania were involved. Unworthy workers’ housings conditions across the border in Germany were discovered where 42 workers’ accommodations were checked and their 150 tenants interviewed. The Dutch and Romanian labour authorities offered 68 workers active in the meat industry in the Netherlands advice on their labour and social rights. Also temporary employment agencies in the Netherlands were inspected.

inspectors

The European Labour Authority (ELA) supported three large-scale inspections involving authorities from Germany, the Netherlands and Romania. More than 100 officers jointly inspected working and living conditions of mostly Romanian workers employed in the meat industry in the Netherlands and living in unworthy workers’ housings across the border in Germany.

The Ministry of Homeland, Municipalities, Building and Digitization of North Rhine-Westphalia coordinated the operation on the first two days in Germany, where 42 workers’ accommodations were checked and their 150 tenants interviewed. The building and housing authority and the fire protection department inspected the health and safety conditions in the accommodations: they found 30 irregularities related to fire protection deficiencies, as well as a lack of electricity, heavy littering and mold in flats where children were living, too.

At the same time, the Dutch and Romanian labour authorities offered 68 workers active in the meat industry in the Netherlands advice on their labour and social rights. On the third day, these labour authorities continued the cross-border operation by inspecting related temporary employment agencies in the Netherlands.

Similar joint cross-border inspections in February and May 2022 had revealed exploitative living and working conditions in the German-Dutch border area. In many cases, exorbitant amounts of approximately 400 EUR per month for the rent of a bed or even a mattress shared with several others in unfitting housing had been illegally deducted from the Romanian workers’ wages. The German prosecution service had initiated criminal proceedings to investigate the usury, as accomplices had exploited and threatened the Romanian workers.

Thousands of mobile workers are affected by the exploitative structures in the German-Dutch border region. The targeted temporary employment agencies established in the Netherlands, mainly with business relationships in the meat processing industry, recruit temporary workers from Southeast Europe with false promises, build up such structures and try to circumvent Dutch labour inspections by housing workers in inhumane conditions across the border in North Rhine-Westphalia.

It is therefore even more important that cross-border cooperation between the enforcement authorities is intensified. The European Labour Authority facilitated the cooperation between the authorities involved and its support enabled inspectors from Romania to join the inspections on-site. The Minister of Homeland, Municipalities, Building and Digitization of North Rhine-Westphalia, Mrs. Scharrenbach, took part in the operation and personally thanked the present Dutch Inspector General Mr. de Boer and his team as well as the Romanian inspectors and the European Labour Authority for their involvement and the professional international cooperation.

Watch the video on the Inspections in Gronau and Südlohn | Netherlands Labour Authority (nllabourauthority.nl)

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