Amsterdam gym chain Saints & Stars has been fined 316,875 by the Dutch Labour Inspectorate over multiple labor violations. The inspectorate found that 25 foreign employees lacked the necessary paperwork to legally work in the Netherlands. It also could not establish how many hours staff had worked or whether they had received at least the minimum wage for every hour worked.
The Labour Inspectorate also found that it was unable to verify the identities of three employees. The violations mean Saints & Stars breached several Dutch labor laws, including rules governing the employment of foreign workers, minimum wage, and working hours. The inspectorate warned that the company could be temporarily forced to close if it commits similar or new violations in the future.
"Saints & Stars takes full responsibility for the shortcomings identified by the Dutch Labour Inspectorate in the employment and administration of cleaning staff. The fitness organization accepts the administrative fines imposed," the chain said. It added that it will now have its employment practices reviewed by an external agency.
Saints & Stars had already faced legal scrutiny over its treatment of cleaning staff. In December, an Amsterdam court found that the gym chain had improperly terminated the contracts of five Filipino cleaners and ordered it to pay each worker 15,000. The judge said Saints & Stars had acted "seriously culpably," noting that the employees were in a vulnerable and...
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