Dangerous and heavy work, for example in slaughterhouses, construction or distribution centres, is often carried out by the approximately one million migrant workers living in the Netherlands, mostly from Eastern and Central Europe. Studies by the Court of Audit and the Dutch Labour Inspectorate show that of all groups of workers, migrant workers are the most at risk of occupational accidents.
Hundreds of migrant workers file personal injury claims against their employers after accidents, this cross-border team of investigative journalists have discovered.
There are so many cases that several personal injury agencies now focus specifically on accidents involving migrants at work. Lawyers, solicitors and barristers, some with Polish or Romanian backgrounds, are actively advertising on social media to reach accident victims. Compensation claims can be as high as 650,000 euros.
These cases are usually settled behind the scenes, completely under the radar of the government or the labour inspectorate, and there is usually no judge to rule. Then, after an accident, no one checks whether it is safe for other workers in the company to continue working there.
This cross-border team includes Investico, Argos, Onet, Polish Newsweek, Balkan Insight, Context and Capital. A collaboration between journalists from the Netherlands and several Central European countries provided the best insight and information on the subject. Investico spoke to migrant workers, lawyers and authorities, collected figures and looked at case files at various lawyers' offices. The other journalists, based in Eastern Europe, talked to injured migrant workers who had returned home after being injured at work in the Netherlands, contacted local authorities and produced articles for the media outlets where they work - based on the material collected by all the media partners together.
Photo: CC Habib M'henni via Wikimedia Commons
