The Netherlands Labour Authority is a supervisory body which acts on behalf of the Ministry of Social Affairs and Employment (SZW) and which is responsible for monitoring compliance with the legislation and regulations that govern working conditions, the labour market, industrial relations and our social security system. Its other responsibilities include examining the functioning of that social security system and identifying developments and risks in the Ministry's policy areas. The Labour Authority also fulfils a special role as the investigative organisation for the Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport (VWS). In that context its task is to investigate claims fraud and fraud relating to the so-called 'personal budget', which is given to people who need care or nursing due to illness or disability.
Public interest
The Labour Authority is committed to a social and robust society, in which there is work and socio-economic security for all. It aims to achieve this goal by carrying out risk and environmental analyses and by monitoring and investigating the most intractable problems which have the greatest impact. The Labour Authority often cooperates with other relevant government agencies.
History
The government has monitored working conditions since it was decided this was necessary in 1890. The Labour Inspectorate (Arbeidsinspectie), the Work and Income Inspectorate (Inspectie Werk en Inkomen) and the Social Intelligence and Investigation Service (Sociale Inlichtingen- en Opsporingsdienst) of the Ministry of Social Affairs and Employment merged in 2012. The new organisation was first known as 'Inspectorate SZW' (Inspectie SZW), but was renamed the 'Netherlands Labour Authority' on 1 January 2022.