ANP/Hollandse Hoogte/Dolph CantrijnResidents of the Vrilkhoven hamlet placed protest banners against the arrival of migrant workers
NOS Nieuws•vandaag, 12:29
Fatima Bay
editor Domestic
Fatima Bay
editor Domestic
More and more large-scale residential complexes for migrant workers are appearing throughout the Netherlands, according to the Flex Living Expertise Center and the Association of Dutch Municipalities (VNG). Although it is a solution for employers to accommodate their temporary staff, it also encounters resistance from local residents.
Employment agencies and companies are planning residential pensions in Nieuwegein (368 migrant workers), Roosendaal (300) and Liempde (400). “We see a demand for residential complexes almost throughout the Netherlands,” says a spokesperson for the VNG. His organization increasingly receives questions from municipalities about large-scale housing.
According to Wim Reedijk of the Flex Living Expertise Center, there has been a major shortage of decent housing for this target group for years. He calls large residential tenements an excellent solution for employees who come here temporarily. “We desperately need migrant workers in large parts of the economy.”
Reedijk does make a comment about this new development. According to him, the residential barracks often encounter resistance from local residents, such as the planned residential complex in Liempde. Residents of the Vrilkhoven hamlet have united and are protesting against the ‘massive’ building.
Action
“We bought a house in a rural area just for peace and quiet, just like many other people here. Soon there will be 400 migrant workers in a community of 100 residents,” says Maureen van Heertum from Vrilkhoven.
For her, that means a three-storey building about two hundred meters from her house. She expects inconvenience and fears for her safety. “I now cycle alone on the street in the evening, what will happen when the residential complex is there with 400 people?” Van Heertum is not against labor migration, but does not think such a large housing facility is appropriate in a rural area. That is why the community is taking action in the municipality of Boxtel.
Vrilkhoven is launching the manifesto today Stop the labor migration industry. Action groups from other places where there are plans for large residential barracks support the action: Bergen op Zoom, Dinteloord, Veghel, Roosendaal and Riel. They want to collect as many signatures as possible, also from other municipalities where this is happening, and offer them to politicians in The Hague.
Leon Anraad fears that his hometown will become a drain. His village may house 800 migrant workers at two locations. “We get all kinds of things here that we don’t want. As a result, a large group here has lost confidence in the local government.”
Never applause
“We are never received with applause, but often with suspicion,” says Frank van Gool of OTTO Work Force. He has built twenty guest houses throughout the Netherlands and more are to follow. “We do not have enough living space for the high demand for housing in our country. Migrant workers are also suffering from this,” he says.
A new law from January 1, 2026 will no longer allow migrant workers to sleep together in a room, which means that thousands of additional homes will have to be created for them within three years.
Politically divided
Many political parties (VVD, CDA, PVV, SP, NSC, SP, the Christian Union, Forum for Democracy and JA21) believe that fewer migrant workers should work in the Netherlands, partly due to the shortage of housing in the Netherlands.
There is free movement of goods and people in the European Union, which is why it is currently not possible to ban, for example, Poles or Romanians from coming here. These Eastern European employees mainly work in greenhouses, at distribution centers or in the food industry.
However, a number of parties – such as the PVV, Forum, JA21 and the SP – want everyone to have a work permit from now on. The SP even advocates a temporary stop to economic migration. The VVD, CDA and the Christian Union mainly focus on keeping employees outside the EU.
GroenLinks/PvdA, Party for the Animals, D66 and BBB are much less concerned with limiting labor migration. According to those parties, these personnel are often desperately needed in, for example, horticulture, the catering industry and other sectors and keep the Dutch economy running. They especially emphasize that poor housing and working conditions must be improved and wages must increase. The SP also thinks so.
The VNG says that there has always been resistance among local residents, but it does see that large groups of people are joining forces and working together to stop large residential complexes. He thinks that such housing facilities have a negative image because of problems in neighborhoods where cheap houses are bought up and rented to unregistered migrant workers.
According to Reedijk, the resistance depends on the place where it is built. “If a complex is managed well, resistance usually decreases quickly. With a decent housing provider who follows the rules, with good facilities and 24-hour management, the neighborhood often appears to experience little inconvenience.”
Need
According to Anne Deelen of employers’ organization VNO-NCW Brabant Zeeland, labor migration is not a popular topic. “It is often lumped together with asylum seekers and status holders.”
She calls large residential tenements necessary and thinks that the pressure on the regular housing market will increase if they are not there. “In a managed residential complex, the chance of any nuisance is also much smaller than in ‘regular homes’ in residential areas. In many cases there is supervision and there are leisure facilities.”
Deelen emphasizes that skilled workers are needed for energy transition and more homes. According to her, temporary staff should also have somewhere to stay. She hopes for more help from the national government for municipal administrators. “By creating the right image and creating support, but also by pushing through good housing plans.”
2023-10-21 10:29:36
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