In the article from the Dutch newspaper NRC on November 16 titled “Entrepreneurs Rake in Profits from Exploiting Migrant Workers on Refugee Ships” by Bram Endedijk and Romy van der Poel, an investigation is conducted into the exploitation of migrant workers on refugee ships in the Netherlands. Eastern European migrant workers, responsible for the daily maintenance and operations on the ships, are employed under harsh conditions. They sometimes work for weeks without time off, have no vacation rights, and are fired on the spot if they fall ill, leaving them immediately homeless. This working situation reflects a pattern previously identified in a government-commissioned report by Emile Roemer on the vulnerable position of migrant workers in the Netherlands.
In Roemer’s report, one of the biggest issues with migrant worker exploitation in the Netherlands was revealed: the so-called “dual dependency,” where the employer is also the landlord. This arrangement makes workers particularly vulnerable, as they are dependent not only on their work but also on their housing. On the refugee ships, this same issue is apparent. The migrant workers pay for their meals and housing—€275 is deducted from their salary each month for these costs. Moreover, the food quality is poor; workers report that the meat served is often past its expiration date, and they are only allowed to eat after the refugees have finished eating.
For the responsible entrepreneurs, asylum reception has become a lucrative business. Due to the government’s disregard for procurement rules, the ships have been paid for above market prices. The money flows from the company hiring the migrant workers go to Cyprus. With the help of a sophisticated scheme, the Dutch entrepreneurs pay themselves millions of euros.
Meanwhile, the Netherlands continues to face a shortage of reception facilities. More than half of the over 70,000 asylum seekers in the country now live outside official asylum centers, often in halls, hotels, and increasingly on ships. Roemer’s report warned of the structural problems and abuses surrounding migrant labor and called for measures to address dependency and exploitation, but the situation on the refugee ships shows that these vulnerable groups are still inadequately protected.
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