A transport company operating in the Haaglanden region of the Netherlands has been ordered to halt all transport activities for two months following serious and repeated breaches of labour legislation. The decision was taken by the Nederlandse Arbeidsinspectie, which concluded that earlier fines and warnings had failed to bring the company into compliance.
The shutdown applies not only to the company’s own operations but also to transport activities carried out on its behalf by other firms, a measure that underlines the severity of the case.
Escalation after years of non-compliance
According to the Labour Inspectorate, the company repeatedly violated the Wet minimumloon en minimumvakantiebijslag (WML), which governs minimum wage and holiday pay, as well as the Wet arbeid vreemdelingen (Wav), which regulates the employment of foreign workers.
In the most recent enforcement action, inspectors imposed a €90,000 fine for WML violations and an additional €112,500 fine under the Wav. The latter was linked to the company’s failure to provide identity documentation for workers, making it impossible for inspectors to verify whether they were legally employed.
The authority stressed that these were not isolated incidents, but part of a longer pattern of non-compliance.
Earlier inspection already resulted in fines and warning
The case dates back at least to 2022, when an earlier inspection found serious administrative and employment irregularities. At that time, inspectors established that seven workers were employed without formal contracts, while key documents such as payslips, proof of wage payments and records of working hours were missing.
That investigation resulted in €42,000 in fines for breaches of minimum wage rules and an additional €21,000 penalty for violations of foreign labour regulations. Crucially, the company also received a formal warning that further infringements could lead to the suspension of its business activities.
Repeat violations confirmed in 2025 re-inspection
Despite that warning, a follow-up inspection in 2025 revealed that the problems had not been resolved. Inspectors found that for ten employees, the company was again unable to provide basic wage or employment records.
As a result, the Labour Inspectorate said it could not determine whether workers were being paid fairly or receiving at least the statutory minimum wage. The investigation also found that some employees were working without written employment contracts and were being paid in cash, which constitutes a further breach of labour law.
According to the authority, the absence of basic documentation obstructed effective enforcement and made further administrative penalties insufficient.
Shutdown as a last resort
The two-month shutdown represents one of the strongest enforcement tools available to the Dutch Labour Inspectorate and is typically used only when other measures fail. By halting all transport activities — including subcontracted work — the authority aims to prevent further violations and force structural changes within the company.
The Inspectorate emphasised that the decision was taken to prevent recurrence and to safeguard fair labour conditions in the sector.
