'Migrant workers are not cheaper'

Migrant workers are not cheaper than Dutch employees. "That is often suggested, but that is not the case," says employment agency director Nico Geerlings in Stand van Nederland. "The Dutch employer determines what someone should earn." One of the companies for which Geerlings is looking for employees is the plant nursery of Patrick Hogenboom. This potted plant nursery mainly works with migrant workers. "We have a lot of manual work. It is difficult to find motivated Dutch employees for that," says Hogenboom.

'A doctor won't pick tomatoes'

Geerlings understands that many people do not want to do the work. "The Dutch probably have a different education than the work we have. I can imagine that if you have studied to be a doctor, you are not going to pick tomatoes. I'll leave it in the middle whether that's good or bad. It is the fact we are dealing with."

Hoogenboom also emphasizes that it is not cheaper for him to work with migrant workers. "We have to pay the same as to a Dutch person on the work floor. There is no difference."

Migrant workers indispensable

For Hoogenboom's company, migrant workers are indispensable. "Without these people, part of the business would be lost. I personally wouldn't want to miss them either, but beyond that, we cannot function in horticulture without foreign employees."