Coalition agreement: continuing the admission system and gaining more control over labour migration

The labour-market plans of the cabinet being formed mainly signal continuity. The four parties want to continue with the TTA Act and gain more control over labour migration, while keeping the door open.

Labour-market security should be encouraged, for example for genuinely self-employed people in policy on self-employment and through regulation of the temporary staffing sector. The aim should be more permanent contracts. Parliamentary consideration of the Assessment of Employment Relationships and Legal Presumption (Clarification) Act (VBAR) and the Admission of Labour Supply Act (WTTA) will therefore continue.

This is set out in the coalition agreement reached by PVV, VVD, NSC and BBB.

The WTTA regulates the admission system for staffing agencies. Earlier this week, it became clear that the legislation would be delayed by a year. A parliamentary debate scheduled for next week has been postponed. This means a new minister will be responsible for defending the bill. Both the new governing parties and the opposition can still seek to amend parts of the legislation, but its main principles will proceed.

The same applies to the new self-employment legislation, the VBAR. It will set rules determining when a self-employed person can be engaged. Workers engaged at an hourly rate below EUR 32.24 will also gain additional rights. The intended effect is for this rate to function as a form of minimum rate for self-employed workers. The VVD and NSC in particular still strongly disagree about the details. The coalition agreement gives no direction on how those differences should be resolved. The final bill is not yet known. An earlier draft drew strong criticism from employers, trade organisations and political parties, particularly within VVD and NSC circles.

• Related reading: Tjebbe van Oostenbruggen (NSC) wants progress on labour-market reform. “Better is the greatest enemy of good”

The agreement is much more detailed on labour migration. The parties consider it necessary to “gain control over labour migration.” Labour migration is needed for the economy and businesses, but it remains important to consider critically who we need and who needs us. An assessment framework will be introduced for the establishment of new businesses in relation to their need for migrant workers, space and energy.

To limit labour migration involving low wages and poor working conditions, the four parties propose the following measures:

• Implement the recommendations of the Migrant Worker Protection Taskforce, known as the Roemer report.
• Take firm action against abusive temporary staffing arrangements. Regulate staffing agencies and recruitment agencies through an admission system under the WTTA.
• Require work permits for migrant workers from outside the EU, except highly skilled migrants. The Netherlands Labour Authority (NLA) will intensify enforcement for this group.
• Make employers of migrant workers who are not Dutch residents responsible for nuisance and costs involving migrant workers without regular short-stay or medium-stay accommodation. Employers must make housing agreements with municipalities. Local authorities will be encouraged to allow more accommodation on the employer’s own premises.
• For longer stays, also give employers responsibility for these workers learning Dutch.
• Examine whether tax benefits under the extraterritorial expenses scheme (ETK) should be reduced and, if so, which benefits.
• Seek restrictions on the free movement of people within the EU if and insofar as EU enlargement is considered.

The financial annex shows that the parties want to save hundreds of millions by reversing growth in central government departments and reducing spending on external hiring under the Roemer standard and on communications.

The new cabinet definitively rejects an additional mid-year increase in the statutory minimum wage. A proposed increase of 1.2% was already blocked in the Senate. That position remains unchanged.

Source: flexnieuws.nl

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