The Eindhoven Municipality should help victims of labour exploitation.
They must add a link to their website and improve communication. This is an initiative proposed by the CDA. The party asked the municipality to set up a new hotline.
With the hotline, the CDA wanted to give the council a vital role in the cooperation between different authorities in tackling labour exploitation. The party wanted a digital hotline and an opportunity to report in, in person, to the municipality.
‘Must take responsibility’
“In this way, workers who are misused can report this more easily and locally,” councillor and initiator, Miriam Frosi, of the CDA, says. “It’s important that each party involved takes responsibility for this. Only then can the victim be helped.”
Hafid Bouteibi, chairman of the PvdA, acknowledges that labour exploitation is a serious problem. However, he wonders whether the CDA’s approach is the correct one. “Why is this hotline a solution?”
“Victims can already submit complaints at three other levels. How is this local hotline going to help?” Tjerk Langman, LPF group chairman, also criticised the proposal.
‘Why another hotline?’
“There are already several hotlines. So why set up another one? It will just incur all kinds of costs and be subject to privacy regulations?”
The city council has come up with a counterproposal. It partially meets the CDA’s wishes. “We must prevent the municipality from taking over responsibilities that lie elsewhere”, Councillor Stijn Steenbakkers says.
The council is, therefore, going to place a link on its website. Labour exploitation victims can reach existing hotlines more easily. “We want to help new residents when they register with us too. We want, for example, give them the labour inspectorate number,” Steenbakkers says.
‘Going to cost money’
The municipality wants to post occasional messages on the internet and social media. That’s to bring more attention to the hotline. “That’s going to cost money,” Steenbakkers says.
It’s difficult to estimate the costs. But the municipality thinks it will be around €15,000. That money comes from a fund that’s also used to organise elections.
“We don’t know if there’s enough in that fund. Organising the elections is also going to be costlier. That’s due to the anti-corona measures.”
After the municipal council’s concessions, the CDA decided to withdraw their proposal. It’s not yet known when the council will update its website with the link.
Source: Studio040
Translator: Bob
Editor: Melinda
This article on Eindhoven News “Land of Milk and Honey” from Aroop, triggered Miriam Frosi to take action.
