Horeca United

Tag: labor solidarity

  • Transphobic discrimination in the logistics sector

    Violet’s Fight Against GXO and E&A in Tilburg: Worker interview and case description

    With support from Vloerwerk & Horeca United

    The Netherlands has a booming logistics industry which demands a constant supply of cheap labor. Logistics companies use intermediary employment agencies to recruit migrant workers, mostly from the South and East of Europe, to satisfy this demand for work.

    These agencies promise the workers good working conditions, better salaries than they could hope for in their home country, and decent housing; all in one convenient (and temporary) contract. What the workers actually find is that they are trapped in a working contract where their housing and working conditions are completely dependent on their employer. They are one sickness or labor conflict away from becoming jobless and homeless. This setup creates a climate of fear and silence for workers, who are isolated and without contacts that can support them in a foreign country.

    There are still no publicly controled agencies that monitor the quality of housing and work for these migrants. Temp agencies and their clients can move in the shadowy stretch between legality and downright trafficking – the constant stream of news articles confirms this.

    Violet, a trans woman who fled intense harassment in Greece in search of a safer life, experienced this trap firsthand. She was forced into unsafe men’s living facilities and unacceptable working conditions where she was not allowed to use the appropriate bathroom for her entire shift!

    The logistics giant GXO and the employment agency E&A in Tilburg weaponized their incompetence to avoid taking responsibility. E&A and GXO did not merely drop the ball with their duty of care. They actively created a transphobic workplace environment. When Violet attempted to use internal communication channels, management responded by stalling until it was time for her contract to end.

    The transphobia Violet experienced did not come from her fellow workers. Instead, the transphobia was structural, and enforced by the negligent behavior of both the logistics multinational company GXO and the intermediary recruitment agency E&A.

    As a first step, Horeca United and Vloerwerk reached out to both companies to express concern and demand a response on how GXO and E&A plan to correct this situation. We have received no response. We are not surprised.

    We refuse to allow this abuse to continue without a collective response. According to our principles of worker self-representation and direct action, we do not speak for Violet. Below is her story, in her own words.

    Q: Can you briefly introduce yourself?

    Violet: My name is Violet, I am a trans woman from Greece. I am a refugee* in NL for about 2 months now. I had to flee due to the harassment I received in Greece for being queer, giving up on my education and support network to do so. I used to study Climatology in the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki before this and have been working as a content moderator for a climate justice network as a side-job too.

    *(N.B.: While refugee has a set legal definition, Violet chooses to identify as a refugee due to the circumstances of her moving aligning with the lived experiences other, especially queer, refugees. So, although the state does not recognize Violet as a refugee, it does not mean that it is the arbiter of who gets to identify as one – rather, it is another systemic failure like the ones that we discuss in this article.)

    Q: How long have you worked for GXO?

    Violet: I have worked there for 2 months, first in the Picking department and then afterwards in the Returns department.

    Q: What did you think of the work?

    Violet: As others have said in the past, the work is really fast paced and cuts corners. We are expected to perform at ridiculous rates in order to meet the quotas, rates that I suspect not even GXO thinks are possible to meet. However, other than that and some safety issues with regards to cleaning the lines, the work was surprisingly not that bad itself. I had a lot of time to think about my life, and the interactions with my coworkers were minimal, which I personally prefer.

    Q: What were the problems you faced at this job?

    Violet: The main issues were with my identity as a trans woman. Despite knowing that I am a trans woman who was planning on fleeing her country due to transphobia, they did not let me know that they were unprepared and unqualified to accommodate me. They registered me as a man, put me in all-men’s housing, my team leaders all knew me and called me by the name I no longer go by, and I was even refused access to the women’s restroom and locker room.

    Q: What are your complaints about this job?

    Violet: They treat those that work under them like trash, especially if you are a minority. My issues were constantly pushed further and further down the line, always telling me to wait until next week for an answer and then to wait for the week after that, until finally my contract ended and they got to kick me out without addressing anything. I am as of writing this, still waiting on them. Not only did I have to go to the HR office multiple times every week for 2 months, I also ended up underperforming due to the issues I was facing taking a toll on my mental and even physical health, leading to my dismissal from the company.

    Q: Can you describe how you decided to contact Vloerwerk/Horeca United about this?

    Violet: I do not remember how I found out about you, but initially I was going to go with a lawyer. However every lawyer the transgender support network recommended me was or still is out of office for vacation, and I did not want to leave this mistreatment unanswered. Additionally, I am politically aligned with anarchy in general, so seeing this alternative to statist justice made me really hopeful—and tbh I left Greece in search of hope, too.

    Q: What do you want to change about this situation?

    Violet: I have 2 friends who are currently living in similar or worse conditions as I was. Our long term goal is to all move to the Netherlands and sort of support each other. This job, as bad as it treated me, got me to move here, so perhaps they will want to also take this step in the future. I don’t want them, or anyone else for that matter, to experience what I had to go through.

    Q: What effect did this work situation have on your personal life?

    Violet: Mentally speaking, it has been really taxing. I am already on depression medication, have been for a long time, but it has been a long time since I have felt this desperate and hopeless about my future. I was living in a dorm with people who were toxic masc, loud even after midnight, rude, who stole from me and even mocked whatever aspects of myself I couldn’t hide around them, and I only got to move out for my last week.

    This meant that for the longest time, I spent my days stuck in a tiny room trying not to be perceived by those around me, which made it quite difficult to connect with people. I was unable to dress the way I wanted to out of fear of further harassment from my neighbors, so even going outside meant I had to filter myself first.

    Physically, the work at Picking was especially bad for my back, as the boxes with the clothes would sometimes be so low that I’d have to bend over while kneeling down, or so high up that I’d have to lift the entire box in order to look at what’s inside (a stool was provided on the cart we had, but team leaders admitted to me that stopping, setting up the stool, then putting it away again, is really slow and thus you can’t make quota if you do this).

    Q: How can the readers of this article support you?

    Violet: First off, boycott H&M and all associating brands if you aren’t already. These companies won’t even pretend to listen to anything but money, so let’s take some steps to ensure this isn’t profitable for them anymore. My current housing and job situations are also shaky to say the least (I found a last minute sublet for 2 months, and no work yet), so if anyone has any advice or offers, gimme.

    Q: How has your experience with housing and work been?

    Violet: It is horrible. The company holds even more of the cards than usual and can treat you accordingly. Issues at work now affect your housing, issues at your house may affect getting re-hired, and all of that in a 2-month contract that they just renew for 2 more months after, which they only give you 5 days of notice for btw. You are always at risk of homelessness.

    They took steps to make the workspace transphobic.

    – Violet

    Q: What are the specific experiences you have had with transphobic discrimination at this work?

    Violet: My coworkers have NEVER been transphobic towards me, even after I started using the women’s restroom and locker room (because fuck those policies tbh). Initially I was going with a mindset of “I may be told that I do not belong here, I may have to defend my right to use this”—but no, nothing. A company that is hiring transgender employees has a responsibility to ensure the workspace is safe and, in case something happens, to support the transgender employee. Instead, E&A and GXO had a perfectly tolerant work environment and took steps to make it transphobic with their policies.

    Q: Do you feel that the company has put your safety at risk with these choices for housing and access to work facilities?

    Violet: Absolutely yes.

    Q: Do you believe/know that there are other workers in a similar situation or who experience homophobic/transphobic treatment?

    Violet: The E&A Manager claims there are more, and even outed a gay employee to me for no reason. But even if there aren’t, there might be some in the future.

    Our Position: The Fight Continues

    GXO and E&A played the ping-pong game of accountability; the warehouse blamed the agency, the agency blamed the warehouse, and Violet’s urgent needs were dragged out until her contract expired. This is a deliberate strategy to exploit the precarity of migrant workers, a direct attack on human dignity and security.

    Violet refuses to accept their delay tactics and demands that they take responsibility.

    Support by taking action:

    Boycott H&M and its subsidiary brands to hit the financial backers of this exploitation where it hurts. Contact their customer service to inform them of bad working conditions in warehouses that carry their products.

    Organize the workplace: If you work at GXO or are contracted through E&A, contact us! We want to stand together with all workers who want their voice to be heard.

    Support Violet: Violet needs stable housing and safe employment in the Netherlands within the next two months. If you have leads, job offers, or housing solutions, contact our network immediately to connect with her.

  • Hotel Landgoed Overste Hof Refuses to Pay Workers

    Hotel Landgoed Overste Hof Refuses to Pay Workers

    Update (23/10/2025): This article was updated to include the responses of the second worker, S., who has also run into problems with this employer.

    Hotel Landgoed Overste Hof has stolen wages from E. M. P., leaving them with no money and no answer. After two shifts and unreasonable work expectations, management decided to fire this worker. They also decided that the work E. M. P. did for these two shifts was not worth payment. E. repeatedly contacted management about the money they owe her. After two months of trying to get an answer, E. joined our network to fight together.

    The director of the hotel, Bart Stavasius, finally responded. He refuses to pay the owed amount and even claims that E. owes him money for supposedly walking out on the job. The extensive screenshots of correspondence and documentation that E. kept as proof show a very different story. We at Horeca United are used to employers that become aggressive towards ex employees, and who threaten with retaliation. This is why support between workers is essential.

    Even worse, we have been contacted by yet another worker, S., who has not been paid for some of their work days. They were also underpaid, since they were promised 17 euros an hour but received less than 13 per hour. This person worked for a whole month with no contract. The hotel has also completely ignored the messages and calls of this worker, and has severely underpaid them. We now see that this could be a bigger pattern with this hotel. We are urging all ex employees who may have been left unpaid or mistreated by this hotel to contact us. This is the moment to demand what is yours.

    Started from the bottom, now we’re…here? The Entrepreneurship myth

    The director of the hotel has been featured in local newspapers with the usual rags to riches story that business owners love selling to the public (think back to cases of ours such as this…Doorbraak.eu). This hotelier is also busy with new hotel projects, and is being celebrated as yet another entrepreneur who can bring prosperity and jobs to the area. As always, business activity is celebrated more than the work that makes these businesses possible. Entrepreneurship has become another word for throwing workers under the bus after using them for free labor, it seems.

    This hotel claims to be a ‘dream location’ for guests. Apparently, this dream includes mistreating workers and stealing their wages. Surely the guests of this hotel do not expect their vacation to be enjoyed on the backs of workers, invisible behind the luxurious setting.

    “…I think they already had decided not to pay me by that time.”

    Exploiting new workers with unpaid trial shifts and no paperwork seems to have become the norm for many Horeca businesses. To make things worse, hospitality work is generally considered unskilled labor by the government and the general public. It is a workforce of mostly non-Dutch, young, or financially vulnerable workers who are treated as expendable. The abuses that happen in the sector are treated almost like a rite of passage – a necessary evil that you will suffer before you find “a real job”. In the meantime, just smile and keep working.

    As a solidarity network by and for hospitality workers, Horeca United fights to establish a culture of self respect, self-emancipation, and solidarity between workers. We do not ask for fair treatment – we demand it.

    We have interviewed the workers about their situation, and why they have chosen to fight back. Workers can and must speak for themselves, directly and without representatives. This is the story of our colleagues:

    Can you briefly introduce yourself?

    E: I’m E.M P.  I’m  a now a Dutch citizen and I’m 57 years old. I came to the Netherlands in 2008 from Finland and I have made the effort to learn the language and  adjusted to the way of living. I’m married to a Dutch man, and together we have  5 children.

    S: My name is S.

    How long did you work for the hotel?

    E: I worked for the hotel for two days: one was a trial day to experience the work and get to know everything, and the other was the starting day.

    S: I worked at the Overste Hof hotel for 35 days, from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., for a total of 130 hours.

    What did you think of the work?

    E: I thought the job was ok, but I saw they had no elevator, so employees had to carry everything up and down stairs.  They also didn’t have enough personnel. The colleague who showed me the work was nice and helpful.

    S: The work was very hard, because I had to make beds in 30 rooms.

    What were the problems you faced at this job?

    E: The management didn’t give me a tour through the hotel  or explain the employee breaks or the uniform. They didn’t have enough people that day. At 2 o’clock after already being at work since 10 am the manager gave us a big list of rooms and expected two people to clean and have the rooms ready one hour before clients arrived. I voiced my concern that it wasn’t possible to finish 15 rooms in an hour and, that made her very mad.
    The contract wasn’t signed because it didn’t include transportation, so they promised we would do that as soon as I got there on Sunday 24th of August but it never happened.
    They also never paid me  for those 10 hours or for my transport, and  when I contacted them asking about my payment they kept asking for details via Indeed but didn’t follow through.  I think they already had decided not to pay me by that time.

    S: The problems with the work, no matter how hard it was, did not concern them.

    What do you want to change about this situation? 

    E: I would have liked a more professional introduction to the work, with the contract signed and everything in order. I want to be paid for the time and effort I put in for this hotel.

    What effect did this work situation have on your personal life?

    E: It caused me great anxiety, stress, and disappointment. I’m unable to find a new job because  I’m feeling discouraged and scared that  this  could happen again. It affected me financially since I use the money to care for my family and I didn’t  choose other job opportunities that maybe wouldn’t have me in this situation.
    I’ve never had issues like this with other companies, and now I feel I can’t trust employers anymore—it’s changed my view on finding jobs in the Netherlands, as I’m not willing to risk my time and energy without payment.

    S: I was very sad because I had done hard work and received little in return. Financially, I had no other income and I am a single mother with two young children, so I was unable to pay my fixed expenses.

    How does it feel to organize your own campaign as a worker?

    E: Organising this campaign makes me feel empowered and hopeful. I’m thankful to Horeca United for helping me with this case.

    How can the readers of this article support you?

    E: Readers can support me by learning from my experience and making sure they don’t allow anyone to play with their time or effort. Make sure you sign contracts before starting to work and fight for your rights always.

    If you could say one thing to the hotel, what would it be?

    E: I express my deep disappointment and concern regarding the unprofessional and unethical treatment I experienced as an employee at your establishment. It is unacceptable to treat employees as disposable and to withhold payment for work performed. Denying me compensation for the 10 hours I worked is not only unfair but constitutes wage theft, which is both morally and legally wrong.
    As someone who approached this role with trust and a commitment to contribute to your team, I am appalled by this conduct. While the amount owed may seem minor, it represents my time, effort, and dignity. I demand the payment I am rightfully owed for the hours I worked. Furthermore, I intend to report this matter to the appropriate authorities to ensure that such practices are addressed and not repeated.
    I urge you to reflect on the values your business upholds and to rectify this situation immediately. Treating employees with respect and fairness is not only a legal obligation but a fundamental principle of ethical business practice.


  • Vile manager Joep Noordhoek holds back wages from employees.

    Horeca United is bringing attention to the unfair business practices of Joep Noordhoek. Horeca United is a grassroots organization that advocates for the interests of employees in the hospitality sector. Employee E., a resident of Amsterdam, worked for a while at SUGO Amsterdam, a franchise business owned by Joep Noordhoek. The employer refuses to pay E., alleging that he has run out of money. However, since he does not wish to declare bankruptcy, the unemployment agency UWV will not cover the employee’s missing wages. 

    Following contact from Horeca United, Joep Noordhoek has stated that he is aware that the situation is not ideal, but that he currently does not have the funds to pay back his former employees. He has said that he will pay his debts as soon as possible, but has not made any moves towards that goal or explained how or when he plans to achieve it. This represents two months’ worth of income for E. as was mentioned in an earlier interview .Instead, the entrepreneur has decided to invest in opening a new location, Eetlokaal Buurt which has now been open for a whole year.

    Because Joep Noordhoek refuses to comply with labor law, consequences must follow. The employer tries to portray his situation as “unfortunate”, but does not seem to recognize that his actions have much more dire consequences for his former employees. The goal of Horeca United is to put a stop to this unacceptable treatment of workers and to make Joep Noordhoek recognize that paying employees has to come before starting a new trendy business.

    Both members of Horeca United and the worker are available to answer further questions.