A transport company from Utrecht had ten Filipino and three Turkish drivers working for it for months while they were not entitled to do so. This has been found by the Dutch Labour Inspectorate. The company received a proposed fine of 44,000 euros.
The case came to light following a report in spring 2022. The Labour Inspectorate carried out nightly inspections at depots of large parcel service providers during the same period. During one of these inspections, a truck with a name known to an inspector also arrived. When the inspector requested the documents of the driver of that truck, all sorts of things were found to be wrong.
Filipino driver
The Labour Inspectorate found a Filipino driver who was not entitled to work in the Netherlands. His employer had not arranged a work permit for him. This is a violation of the Foreigners' Employment Act (Wav). The inspectorate decided to further investigate the company concerned. This revealed that other people were working without a work permit.
Thirteen illegals
In total, the Labour Inspectorate found 13 people working illegally for the Utrecht transport company. They drove parcels around for postal and parcel companies throughout the country. Ten had Filipino nationality and in three cases the drivers had Turkish nationality. The investigation focused on a six-month period, but presumably the drivers had been operating in Western Europe for longer. One of the drivers said he had been driving around here for 12 years.
Fine
The work was immediately stopped by the Labour Inspectorate and the employer concerned received a proposed fine. The fine is not yet final as the employer can still submit its views on it.
