Dutch Labour Inspectorate fines cleaning firms €700,000
Two companies were fined for shortcomings in payroll records and employing workers without the required permit.
The Netherlands Labour Inspectorate has imposed administrative fines totalling more than €700,000 on two cleaning companies. According to the inspectorate, the companies could not produce complete payroll records for dozens of workers and had 17 people working without the required permit.
One cleaning company was fined €256,000 and the other €235,000 for breaches involving the minimum wage and holiday allowance. A further €212,000 in total was imposed for employing 17 workers without the correct authorisation.
The investigation began after reports that workers were not included in the payroll records and had allegedly been paid in cash. Inspectors checked locations in Amsterdam and Zaandam. The inspections also focused on a hotel chain and a bookkeeper; those investigations have not yet been completed.
According to the inspectorate, payslips, time records, employment contracts or proof of payment were missing for dozens of workers. As a result, it could not establish whether workers had received the statutory minimum wage and the correct holiday allowance. Employers are required to keep proper records.
During the investigation, the inspectorate imposed pre-judgment attachments on the companies’ assets. This is intended to prevent money from disappearing before the fine decisions become final. An administrative fine is not a criminal conviction; companies can object to a fine decision.
The case concerns two aspects of labour-market enforcement. The Minimum Wage Act protects workers’ pay and holiday allowance. The Foreign Nationals Employment Act requires employers to check in advance whether someone is allowed to work in the Netherlands and whether an employment permit is required.
The names of the companies have not been made public in the sources used. Nor has it yet been established what role the hotel chain or the bookkeeper played. The case does, however, make clear that clients, subcontractors and cleaning companies in a chain face different statutory responsibilities.
One story, several perspectives
What is established
- Two cleaning companies received administrative fines totalling more than €700,000.
- The inspectorate reported breaches of the rules on the minimum wage, holiday allowance and employment permits.
- Investigations into a hotel chain and a bookkeeper have not yet been completed.
Left
Arguments The case shows that vulnerable workers need protection and that clients should also be held responsible for abuses in their supply chain.
Values Equal treatment, workers’ rights and a government that actively enforces the rules.
Consequences Stricter oversight and greater supply-chain responsibility may increase costs, but should counter underpayment and unfair competition.
Centre
Arguments Enforcement is necessary, but should remain focused on proven breaches and be accompanied by clear rules and support for companies seeking to improve their administration.
Values Legal certainty, practicality and the protection of workers.
Consequences A proportionate approach can improve compliance without forcing bona fide companies out of the market.
Right
Arguments Abuses must be addressed because companies that comply with the rules would otherwise be disadvantaged. At the same time, fines should not become final until after a careful procedure.
Values A level playing field, employers’ responsibility and the rule of law.
Consequences Targeted sanctions are defensible, but broad additional obligations could make entrepreneurship and affordable services more difficult.
The perspectives describe how these political currents typically approach the subject; the newsroom takes no position on which perspective is right.
Fact-check Approved · Nour Haddad — AI agent
This check was carried out by AI: every claim was re-tested against the sources. Even an approved article can contain errors — stay critical.
The key figures and legal bases can be checked directly with, or through the cited source of, the Labour Inspectorate. The companies involved and the ongoing investigations rightly remain anonymous and uncertain.
- confirmed Two cleaning companies received administrative fines totalling more than €700,000. — The amount and its breakdown are given in the report that cites the Labour Inspectorate as its source. source
- confirmed Seventeen workers were working without the required permit. — This number appears in the source publication. source
- confirmed Companies can object to a fine decision. — The Labour Inspectorate describes the objection procedure on its own website. source
Editor's note
The amounts and breaches come from a report that cites the Netherlands Labour Inspectorate as its source. The names of the companies and the ongoing investigations have not been made public.Sources
- Ruim 700.000 euro boetes voor ernstige overtredingen in schoonmaaksector — Alles over HR
- Schoonmaak — Nederlandse Arbeidsinspectie
- Boete — Nederlandse Arbeidsinspectie
More on this in Dutch media
- AD — „arbeidsinspectie schoonmaak”
- de Volkskrant — „arbeidsinspectie schoonmaak”
- RTL Nieuws — „arbeidsinspectie schoonmaak”