What does the FNV do for migrant workers?
What can the FNV do for me as a migrant worker?
The FNV is there for everyone who works in the Netherlands. The FNV also defends the interests of migrant workers. We are on your side.
The FNV believes that everyone who works in the Netherlands is entitled to the same salary and working conditions, including migrant workers. The FNV wants to improve the position of migrant workers by working on the following points.
Separating work and living space
Currently, employers often arrange housing and transport for migrant workers. This makes you too dependent on your employer. The FNV believes that work and housing should be more separate. The FNV is actively campaigning for this. In February 2021, the government decided that migrant workers will receive a rental contract that is not linked to the employment contract.
Abolishing or changing schemes that keep wages low
There are schemes in the Netherlands that ensure that wages are kept low. The FNV wants these schemes to be adjusted or abolished. An example of such a scheme is the Low Income Benefit (Lage inkomensvoordeel (LIV)). This scheme is designed to create jobs, but it has a major drawback. For every employee who earns just more than the minimum wage, an employer can get a lot of money back from the tax authorities every year. But if the employer gives the employee a pay rise, the grant will be lower. Employers therefore have a vested interest in keeping wages as low as possible.
Better jobs
At the moment there are many new jobs in places where there are no people in the area. The FNV wants more done to create jobs with some job security, a living wage, and good working conditions.
Enforcement
Every day, the FNV still sees many cases of fraud, abuse, and exploitation. Migrant workers in particular are vulnerable to exploitation. Labour exploitation is a crime, but often goes unpunished. The FNV wants more cooperation to bring more cases to court.
FNV membership
Anyone who works in the Netherlands may become a member of a trade union – even if you work in the Netherlands but do not live there permanently. The FNV defends the interests of everyone who works in the Netherlands, including those of migrant workers. As a member of the FNV, you and your colleagues can influence the terms of employment. The bigger the union in the workplace, the stronger the position of workers.