2 souvenir shops in the Amsterdam city centre must close their doors for 1 month. The Netherlands Labour Authority has decided this following repeated violations of the Working Hours Act.
As the owner could not provide the Netherlands Labour Authority inspectors with proper records of employees' working hours and rest periods, it was impossible to check compliance with the Working Hours Act.
The owner had previously been fined a total of € 21,250 in this regard. He had also been warned that the Labour Authority could temporarily halt the company's operations. Because the violation reoccurred, including under a new arrangement with a new company, it has now been decided to shut down the souvenir shops. A 3rd fine of € 15,000 will also be imposed.
Working Hours Act
The Working Hours Act and the Working Hours Decree stipulate how long employees may work in a given period and when they are entitled to a break or rest period. The rules of the Working Hours Act apply to everyone who works for an employer, including trainees, agency workers and posted workers.