Temporary workers' accommodation checked
During a cross-border inspection in the Kleve district, North Rhine-Westphalian and Dutch authorities checked the accommodation of temporary workers at the weekend. The aim was to protect temporary workers from exploitative accommodation and to uncover illegal structures, the state ministries for local government and for labor, health and social affairs announced in Düsseldorf on Sunday. As a result of the campaign, around 75 workers were housed in safe and suitable accommodation. It was the fifth inspection of this kind.
Violations were found in 18 collective accommodation facilities in the logistics, packaging and meat industries. These included non-compliance with registration regulations, fire safety rules and suspected usurious rent. 180 Romanian and Polish employees from temporary employment agencies had been housed there. Conditions had been discovered in 17 apartments that would have led to their immediate closure.
"No matter where the companies are based, whether in Germany, the Netherlands or Poland, the accommodation for workers must comply with the applicable health and safety regulations," said NRW Minister of Labor Karl-Josef Laumann (CDU). According to the European Labor Authority (E-LA), some companies are trying to accommodate workers on the other side of the border in order to avoid checks by the authorities.
The Minister of Labor in North Rhine-Westphalia emphasized that the social affairs of temporary workers should not be compromised, regardless of where the companies are based. To ensure fair work conditions, it's crucial for workers' accommodation to adhere to health and safety regulations, including those related to employment and social affairs.
Source: www.dpa.com
