Working conditions in the Netherlands pose major risks for migrant workers

Working conditions in the Netherlands cause significant health risks for migrant workers, concludes a report published Monday (11 April 2022) by the Pharos Centre for Expertise on health inequality.

Long working days, pressure to produce as much as possible, low income, physically demanding work and poor living conditions have severe consequences for their physical and mental health, the researchers concluded, according to the NRC (National Research Council).

Pharos supervised 260 migrant workers, talked intensively with 10 of them and spoke to 18 health and social care professionals. The researchers found that migrant workers are usually in good health when they arrive in the Netherlands, but that health deteriorates rapidly due to working conditions.

Long working days exhaust migrant workers, leaving them with no time or energy to socialise or relax after work.

They have no time for exercise and earn too little to afford healthy products. They often go to work when they are sick because they are afraid of losing their jobs. Many migrant workers have health insurance obtained through a recruitment agency, which expires if they don't have work. They therefore rarely go to the doctor unless they are actively employed. Many migrant workers do not speak Dutch, and some do not speak English. This means they don't always know what their insurance covers. So they put off seeking help for fear of high costs, the researchers found.

"We expected to find abuses, but we didn't know the impact on health was so great." Inge Goorts, researcher at Pharos, told the newspaper. "People self-destruct at work".

The researchers advised the government to better regulate occupational medicine and recruitment agencies and ensure that migrant workers receive all the information they need about health and health care providers, as well as rules for the uninsured. The researchers said hiring more interpreters could help in this regard.