Rowegie Abanto

The Dutch Labour Inspectorate investigates the case of Filipino and Indonesian workers allegedly exploited by a Dutch company. Photo with permission from The Dutch Labour Inspectorate website.



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<div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:960px"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/17568702207731753969956181arbo-in-bedrijf-2022-2023.webp" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/><span class="fr-inner" spellcheck="false" style="text-align:left">The Dutch Labour Inspectorate investigates the case of Filipino and Indonesian workers allegedly exploited by a Dutch company.<em> Photo from The Dutch Labour Inspectorate website</em></span></span></span></div><p>DEN HAAG, The Netherlands — The Philippine Embassy in The Netherlands met with and provided monetary aid to the 11 overseas Filipino workers who have ongoing labor-related complaints against their former employer in Amsterdam.</p><p>According to the embassy&#x27;s Facebook post, Assistance-to-Nationals Officer and Attaché Zandralyn Delfino-Mirasol, and Berlin-based Migrant Workers Office (MWO) Labor Attaché Delia Palomar, visited the workers on August 27 to hand over the second tranche of financial assistance from the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW).</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/world/2025/8/9/migrant-groups-push-for-justice-for-11-filipinos-allegedly-exploited-by-dutch-employer-0925">Migrant groups push for justice for 11 Filipinos allegedly exploited by Dutch employer</a></div><p>The post mentioned that the Department of Foreign Affairs distributed the first tranche of the undisclosed amount of aid on August 15.</p><p>The Embassy also noted that it “made arrangements for them to stay temporarily in a shelter in Amsterdam” and that they are “assisted pro bono by Dutch lawyers in the labor complaint that they filed.”</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>SUSTAINABLE AID</strong></div><div><br/></div><p>Migrante Netherlands acknowledged the help from the Embassy and the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW). </p><p>But they appealed for a sustainable means of responding to the workers’ needs.</p><p>“However, we emphasize that what the workers urgently require is sustained assistance for the entire duration of their case. Since they are unable to work legally in the Netherlands while proceedings are ongoing, they need regular financial and welfare support not only to cover their daily needs here, but also to continue providing for their families back home who depend on them,” Mark Pascual, Migrante Netherlands Campaign Officer, said in a statement sent to ABS-CBN.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/7/31/filipino-workers-allegedly-abused-at-amsterdam-gym-chain-2209">Filipino workers allegedly abused at Amsterdam gym chain</a></div><p>&quot;Lynette,&quot; a representative of the workers, wanted to clarify the embassy’s claim of arranging temporary shelter and called for accuracy in its statements.</p><p>“Nais naming linawin na ang temporary shelter na aming tinutuluyan ngayon ay inayos ng aming abogado, hindi ng Philippine Embassy… Nais naming ipaalala sa Philippine Embassy na maging accurate sa kanilang mga pahayag ukol sa binibigay nilang suporta sa amin. Hindi makakabuti sa amin ang anumang maling pahayag at anumang pagpapanggap,&quot; said Lynette.</p><p>(We want to clarify that our current temporary shelter was arranged by our lawyer, not the Philippine Embassy… We want to remind the Philippine Embassy to be accurate in its statements about the support they provide to us. Any false statement and pretensions will not do us any good.)</p><p>As of press time, a certain Rebecca has raised €40,220 through GoFundMe, calling the fundraising Saints and Stars Cleaners Relief Fund.</p><p>“We have been working hard behind the scenes to ensure that the money reaches the cleaners in the safest and most accessible possible way,” the organizer said in the crowdfunding platform.</p><p>The Filipinos worked as cleaners at a famous gym chain in Amsterdam and first reported their working conditions, accusing serious violations of Dutch labor laws, to the police, Fairwork, and the Labor Inspectorate. </p><p>They claimed that a supervisor took their passports; their salaries were paid in cash, or sometimes they did not get paid.</p><p>The Inspectorate also said on its website that the cleaners worked for a whole week straight for 12 hours a day, a condition that violates the Minimum Wage and Minimum Holiday Allowance Act (WML), and the Working Hours Act.</p><p>Earlier reports from Dutch media outlets, including NL Times and Het Parool, said that the gym chain involved in the alleged foreign workers abuse is the widely known Saints and Stars.</p><p>Het Parool, in its interviews with 11 workers, found evidence, including WhatsApp messages, photos, videos, audio recordings, and email correspondence with the Dutch Labor Inspectorate.</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>RELATED VIDEO</strong></div><div><br/></div><div><strong><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/F8MFF4MnKmk?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span></strong><br/></div>

<p>The Philippine Embassy in the Netherlands met with and provided monetary aid to the 11 overseas Filipino workers who have ongoing labor-related complaints against their former employer in Amsterdam.</p>

The Philippine Embassy in the Netherlands met with and provided monetary aid to the 11 overseas Filipino workers who have ongoing labor-related complaints against their former employer in Amsterdam.

Filipinos abused by Dutch firm receive 2nd wave of financial aid from PH gov't

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Filipinos abused by Dutch firm receive 2nd wave of financial aid from PH gov't

Angelica Cabahug

Published Sep 03, 2025 11:50 AM PHT

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