Flex-workers often miss out on existing support
Translated by Thomas Ansell
As reported by the Leeuwarder Courant, the Dutch national government will be trying to support people on flexible contracts by opening a support desk by 22 June. The social security organisation the UWV is in charge of the new loket.
Minister Wouter Koolmees (D66), of Social Affairs, put forward the idea as an option to the Dutch parliament, saying that the plan also had “big disadvantages”. Thanks to the two political parties D66 and the PvdA (Labour), the Dutch parliament voted for the plan.
Minister Koolmees then handed the plans over to the UWV to be put into practice. Thanks to amendments put forward by other political parties, the target group for the support has swelled to include significantly more people on lower incomes.
People on flex-contracts can make an appointment with the UWV’s support desk if their income in February was at least 400 euros (this was previously set at 500 euros). Anyone that earned 50 percent less in April can now claim up to 550 euros to top up their income.
According to the CBS (Central Bureau for Statistics), flex-workers numbered around 3 million people in 2018- between 15 and 75 years old. However, of this group, 2 million are classified as flex-workers in contract terms, whilst 1.1 million are freelancers.
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