Last winter, Computer Science trainee Aaron Serpilin was traveling through Sweden by himself. He worked a number of months to be able to manage the trip. As he discovered himself in the remote arctic town of Abisko, he could not manage to get back to the airport. He worked for the cash, but says he wasn't paid on time. "It was frustrating needing to ask my family for two hundred euros to not get stuck on the North Pole", he states.
Similarly, an UvA student treated his girlfriend to a trip in Spain last summer season. He states he was promised he 'd be paid for his deal with time. Instead, he needed to ask his family for money and his sweetheart chipped in too.
Ghosted
Both students feel like they've been benefited from by job company ViaOns, and they become part of a larger group of VU and UvA trainees who are all attempting to get paid. They used the company because it was a practical method to get reasonably well-paying hospitality tasks. ViaOns (which indicates 'through us' in Dutch) connects employees to business such as dining establishments and bars. The earnings are then supposed to go through ViaOns to the workers.
The students apparently got their money in the beginning, although there might be a few weeks in between doing a shift and making money. But they say that eventually, the hold-ups became worse, and the students ended up being owed large amounts of cash for months on end without any reputable indication of when or even if they would get anything. "I do not understand whether they're putting it in crypto or investing it somewhere else. It's a mystery to me why they don't pay their workers", the UvA trainee says.
In the case of Economics and Business Economics student Martin, he states he started requesting for his money after waiting for more than a month. ViaOns informed him they were still waiting on the restaurant to pay for his shifts. As another month passed, Martin decided to quit working altogether till he earned money. "I was calling like two times a day saying: brother please, I need the cash. I got ta pay for food and my rent."
Martin says he was typically 'ghosted' when asking for his money, or he would be told that they were still waiting on the restaurant. However, the dining establishment ensured him that his shifts had currently been paid to ViaOns. He declares the company still owes him over 1,000 euros. WhatsApp screenshots shared by the trainees portray a lot of one-sided interaction in between the trainees and ViaOns, with the students sending out suggestion after tip that they're waiting on pay from a very long time earlier.
Legal action
Serpilin worked 3 days weekly for several months to save up for his trip to Sweden. He says he spoke to ViaOns before taking a trip and was ensured he 'd get his cash on time, once in Sweden, he says he was ghosted and much of his strategies were cancelled because he couldn't pay for them.
Despite this terrible experience, he continued to deal with ViaOns and did receive some payments, but it would frequently take a very long time and due to the hold-ups he states he was essentially broke, waiting for several months of pay. He spoke to good friends who were in the same boat as him and discovered a collection agency going to help them get the cash.
Gradually, the variety of trainees trying to get their money rose to sixteen. The trainees discovered each other through their own networks, meaning they are not always the only ones impacted. More recently, they're speaking to a legal representative and wish to pursue a legal case, which has actually replaced their technique of using a debt collection agency.
Societal problem
Providing the students with legal help is a bit challenging according to lawyer Dylan Schreurs, who has looked into the case and is discussing prospective actions with the involved students. "I think it's a societal issue that these are all trainees who actually require this money, however can't request [subsidized] legal aid since they're seen as freelancers", Schreurs describes. "They're really failing the fractures."
The legal representative thinks the trainees have a really strong case and says that even if the dining establishments did not transfer their incomes, ViaOns would still be obliged to pay the trainees. But he likewise believes the case might be bigger than just getting the students their lost wages, as he believes ViaOns might be wrongfully dealing with people as freelancers rather of salaried employees. "That would mean they have actually been using really low-cost labour while getting wealthy from it without contributing to our social security systems", says Schreurs.
Securing loans
According to an Excel file they made, the group of sixteen students is owed over 13,000 euros. Serpilin is waiting for the biggest quantity: almost 4,000 euros. He states he needed to secure loans to spend for groceries and rent. "There have actually been a great deal of days that my friends go out and I either join them without getting anything, or I just don't go since I can't manage it."
Most of all, he would explain the situation as awkward. "How do you tell your buddies or household that you work 3 days a week, however then all of a sudden you require to loan cash to pay for things? I work every weekend and have nothing to show for it." Martin felt a comparable shame when asking his workplace on 3 different occasions if they've paid ViaOns.
Playing favourites
The three trainees that consulted with Ad Valvas seem like the money has actually been taken from them. "It feels really deliberate on their part", states Martin. The UvA trainee also thinks that the business plays favourites with its workers. He claims to be knowledgeable about specific individuals getting paid before others for the precise very same shift.
If somebody starts 'being irritating' about not earning money in time, the UvA student states the company will dabble them and keep stringing them along. "I have actually observed that if you're regional and you're their pal, you're not going to experience many problems."
But worldwide trainees who end up leaving the nation might be less most likely to get their refund. Among them is still owed for working on King's Day in 2024 and has actually since moved to another country, the UvA trainee says.
Ad Valvas has actually been in touch with ViaOns, however ViaOns has not yet answered our concerns or offered a statement. Should they still offer an action, it will be included to this post.
