In May 2020, the Dutch House of Representatives established a parliamentary inquiry led by former Socialist Party leader Emile Roemer to investigate the conditions facing migrant workers in the Netherlands. The commission published its report, "No Second-Class Citizens" (Geen tweederangsburgers), in 2020, with 50 recommendations for reform.
Commission Findings
The Roemer Commission found that migrant workers from Central and Eastern Europe faced issues including underpayment, poor housing conditions, and loss of medical care when jobs ended. The commission estimated that between 800,000 and 1.7 million migrant workers were operating in the Netherlands, with municipalities often having difficulty locating approximately half of these workers.
The commission noted that it was "too easy to set up a staffing agency" in the Netherlands, with minimal oversight and accountability. This had contributed to a market with many small agencies competing on price, creating pressure to minimize labor costs.
Recommendations
The commission made 50 recommendations covering areas including:
Licensing: The commission recommended reintroducing a licensing system for employment agencies, which had been abolished in 1998. A licensing system would require agencies to meet certain standards and provide a mechanism for removing agencies that violated rules.
Housing: The commission recommended stronger regulation of housing provided to temporary workers, including limits on costs and requirements for minimum standards.
Enforcement: The commission called for increased resources for labor inspectorates and stronger penalties for violations.
Implementation
The Dutch House of Representatives voted in favor of 49 of the 50 recommendations in February 2021. However, implementation has been slow. In November 2025, Emile Roemer expressed concern about the pace of implementation, noting that exploitation continued while reforms were delayed.
The new WTTA (Wet Toezicht Tijdelijke Arbeid) licensing law, approved by the Dutch Senate in November 2025, will require all agencies to obtain a license from January 2027. This represents implementation of one of the commission's key recommendations, though with a significant delay.
