Work

Bas van ’t Wout (VVD) argues for an obligation to move to another city for unemployed people who can find a job elsewhere. However, the city administration argues that the focus is on the regional labour market and that moving will generally not be an issue. Furthermore, people can decide for themselves ‘where to live and how to organise their commuting’.

Amsterdam is ‘forced’ to recruit IT professionals from Eastern Europe to alleviate labour market shortages. Meanwhile, immigrants with few prospects will be pushed to return to their country or origin. This has been announced in the study Effects of EU migration to Amsterdam, which will be discussed in the city council tomorrow.

The municipality expects growing shortages of health care and IT staff, partly as a result of retiring baby boomers. Last year, a study found that qualified IT professionals are to be found mainly in Eastern Europe and Asia.

Since recently, the lawyers and bankers who work in the Zuidas financial district greet the cleaner with a friendly ‘good morning’. Some even know his name and that he is from Ghana. This can be read at the Zo Zuidas blog, where three young women anonymously describe ‘what goes on at the square kilometre of office playground near the WTC’.

Next Thursday, cleaners will stage the largest cleaners’ protest in Dutch history in Amsterdam, the union has announced. The action forms part of a campaign for a better collective agreement. Khadija Tahiri, cleaner at the Boven IJ hospital in Amsterdam Noord and President of the Union of Cleaners: “We will not only take on the cleaning bosses but especially the large and expensive clients. Like Philips, the Tax Authority and the banks.”