The Netherlands Labour Authority is responsible for monitoring whether employers and employees comply with various labour laws, decrees and regulations, as well as for detecting fraud, exploitation and organised crime within the work and income chain. In the field of social affairs and employment its work involves identifying developments and risks and reporting them to stakeholders.

Monitoring duties

The Netherlands Labour Authority monitors compliance with the following laws and regulations:

  • The Foreign Nationals (Employment) Act (Wet arbeid vreemdelingen), the Minimum Wage and Minimum Holiday Allowance Act (Wet minimumloon en minimumvakantiebijslag) and the Placement of Personnel by Intermediaries Act (Wet allocatie arbeidskrachten door intermediairs) with a view to combating illegal employment, violations of the minimum wage requirement, labour exploitation, abusive employment mediation practices and other forms of labour market fraud.
  • The Working Conditions Act (Arbeidsomstandighedenwet) and the Working Hours Act (Arbeidstijdenwet) in order to promote safe and healthy working conditions and ensure observance of working hours and break times for employees.
  • The Seveso ІІІ Directive, as included in the Physical Environment (Activities) Decree (Besluit Activiteiten Leefomgeving, Bal) and the Additional Risk Assessment and Evaluation Regulation (Aanvullende risico-inventarisatie en -evaluatie (ARIE) regeling) with a view to reducing risks to employees and the surrounding area posed by companies that work with large quantities of hazardous substances.
  • The Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals Regulation (REACH Regulation) to control the risks of chemicals in the context of industrial and professional use in the workplace.
  • The Employment Conditions (Posted Workers in the European Union) Act (Wet arbeidsvoorwaarden gedetacheerde werknemers in de Europese Unie, WagwEU).
  • The Plant Protection Products and Biocides Act (Wet gewasbeschermingsmiddelen en biociden).
  • The Nuclear Energy Act (Kernenergiewet) to protect workers from radiation risks.
  • A number of Commodities Act decrees governing the safety of products for the professional market.
  • The Economic Offences Act (Wet op de economische delicten).
  • The Authority is also responsible for monitoring compliance with collective labour agreements.

Investigative duties

The Authority's duties also include identifying instances of, for example, labour exploitation, human trafficking and large-scale social security fraud in close cooperation with the Public Prosecution Service.

Identification duties

The Netherlands Labour Authority is also responsible for identifying developments and risks in the field of social affairs and employment on behalf of stakeholders.