The number of complaints from migrant workers about their living and working conditions has nearly doubled over the past year, according to figures from the legal labour association SKIA, as quoted in the Volkskrant.
A large portion of the complaints have to do with exploitation and crowded housing conditions. Between 30 and 40 percent of the complaints registered with SKIA describe "extreme, degrading situations," according to SKIA manager Henriëtte van Waalwijk van Doorn.
The migrant workers association Migrada has also seen a 40 percent increase in complaints from workers about living conditions in the Netherlands over the past year, although this is probably due in part to the fact that workers can now report complaints in their native language, and are better informed of their rights in the Netherlands prior to their arrival here.
A Migrada spokesperson also noted that the furor surrounding the PVV party's anti-immigration website introduced earlier this year had increased the visibility of migrant workers in the Netherlands. "Since then people pick up the phone sooner, and abuses are finally reported," confirmed Van Waalwijk Van Doorn.