+31 6 81881070 info@haian.nl

The Impact of the Corona Crisis on Workers and Small Businesses

A:

I came to the Netherlands when the corona crisis was at its worst. In order to come to work in the Netherlands, I have spent a lot of money on agency fees to get a visa and secure a job. After I arrived in the Netherlands and because of the corona crisis, the employer asked me to go to a hotel for quarantine at my own expense. This has cost me almost all of the money I have brought here with me. However, after the quarantine, the government suddenly announced that all restaurants must be temporarily closed, so the employer decided not to hire me anymore. At that time, I didn’t understand the Dutch labour law and I didn’t know where to seek help. Even though I felt completely helpless and unfair, I had no choice than to accept this cruel reality.
Due to the crisis, there was no way I could return to my country. Furthermore, I had already spent my entire fortune to come to the Netherlands. How can I go back now? How can I explain this to my family? Since I didn’t have any other options, I was determined to find a way out. Every day I bit the bullet and went everywhere to look for a job. I went to many restaurants and I asked a lot of labour migrants that I met online. I finally got a job though the recommendation of an acquaintance.
My current job is very demanding because I have agreed to all the conditions from my employer before my employer hired me. In addition to wages lower than the minimum standard, I had extremely long working hours. I work very hard every day as I do the job of more than one person. Now I finally understand why many people call Dutch chefs as “working like a cow”. I have worked many years in my country but I have never worked so hard like in the Netherlands! Nevertheless, whenever I think of my family and my dreams, I decide to grit my teeth and keep going.

B:

I have worked for years in the Netherlands. I will be able to retire and have a stable retirement life in a few years’ time. The expected outbreak of the corona virus has caused a drastic drop of income for my employer. Therefore, my employer dismissed me from work because he was no longer able to pay my salaries. My Dutch was limited and I did not know what my entitlements were. But luckily, I found a social worker who was able to help me to apply for unemployment benefits. However due to the low taxable income as reported by my employer, my unemployment support was also very low. I had to tighten my belt in order to make ends meet.
I think the life without a job is very difficult and very lonely. After I became unemployed, I dare not go outside fearing that I would be infected by the virus. I have lots of aches and pains during the time I am home and some of my friends think that I have mild depression symptoms.
Now I am trying my best to find a job, hoping that soon I can be employed and life will go back to normal.

C:

Even though I have been in the Netherlands for years, I have not had the opportunity to master Dutch language. As a result, my job opportunities are limited.
With great effort, I finally found a part-time job in a beauty salon. The job in a beauty salon is unstable and my employer refused to sign a contract with me. When the coronavirus broke out, my workplace was forced to shut down temporarily and thus I lost my one and only income. My employer told me that when the crisis is over, I would be able to go back to work. But she didn’t say when I could go back to work. I could only wait.
In order to survive, I applied for employment benefits. However, my employer didn’t pay tax for me as an employee, my application was naturally being rejected. Now I have no income and I can’t find a job, what should I do?

D:

I opened a small restaurant just before the corona crisis started and I employed a labour migrant from China. A couple of months after the labour migrant came to the Netherlands, he decided to quit the job due to our difference of opinions and the hard work required in the kitchen. To reapply for a new labour migrant from China is a resource-intensive and time-consuming process. It is even more complicated during the corona time. Therefore, I had to close my restaurant while waiting for a new employee to arrive. Finally, my employee came when the border reopened and I felt a sense of relief that my restaurant could be reopened. Not long after my restaurant reopened, the government unexpectedly announced its lockdown measures where all restaurants could only open for take away business. As a result, my business went down drastically.
Many people think that it is glamourous to be a business owner in the Netherlands. But it is not as simple as I have imagined it to be. Other than all the daily operational tasks, I have to manage various administrative matters, personnel issues and so forth. In addition, I have to follow the corona safety measures, so how can I not to have headache from all these?