International

The SP’s Member of the European Parliament Dennis de Jong today voted against the resolution on the right wing PVV’s ‘helpline’ website, despite condemning the site itself, which encourages people to complain about the ‘nuisance’ caused by migrant workers from central and eastern Europe. ‘Although I totally condemn the PVV’s site because of its discriminatory character,’ says De Jong, ‘the actual resolution is lopsided. There are complications associated with the influx of workers from central and eastern Europe, as was shown by the recent report from the Dutch Parliament, and no attention is given to this.’

De Jong wants to see cooperation across Europe between labour inspectorates and police and judicial authorities to combat abusive employment agencies. “This resolution offers absolutely no solution to the problem of exploitation of workers from central and eastern Europe,” he says. “Let’s take this problem seriously instead of once again going on about the PVV.” Referring to the right wing party’s leader, he says that “in the end Geert Wilders only gains from this resolution.”

It’s also important for the SP to vote against a resolution which takes an uncritical view of the free movement of labour. “It’s precisely this ‘free movement’ that has led to eastern Europeans being exploited in west Europe by abusive employment agencies,” says De Jong.