Last winter season, Computer Aaron Serpilin was taking a trip through Sweden by himself. He worked a number of months to be able to manage the journey. As he found himself in the remote arctic town of Abisko, he could not manage to get back to the airport. He worked for the cash, however says he wasn't paid on time. "It was irritating needing to ask my family for 2 hundred euros to not get stuck on the North Pole", he says.
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Similarly, an UvA student treated his girlfriend to a getaway in Spain last summertime. He says he was promised he 'd be paid for his work on time. Instead, he needed to ask his household for cash and his sweetheart broke in too.
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Ghosted

Both students feel like they've been made the most of by job firm ViaOns, and they become part of a bigger group of VU and UvA trainees who are all trying to make money. They utilized the firm since it was a hassle-free way to get fairly well-paying hospitality jobs. ViaOns (which indicates 'through us' in Dutch) connects employees to companies such as restaurants and bars. The wages are then supposed to go through ViaOns to the employees.

The trainees apparently got their money in the beginning, although there could be a couple of weeks in between doing a shift and getting paid. But they say that at some point, the delays got worse, and the students wound up being owed large amounts of cash for months on end without any trusted indication of when or perhaps 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 do not pay their employees", the UvA trainee says.

In the case of Economics and Business Economics student Martin, he says he began asking for his money after waiting for more than a month. ViaOns informed him they were still awaiting the restaurant to spend for his shifts. As another month passed, Martin chose to quit working altogether until he got paid. "I was calling like twice a day saying: bro please, I need the cash. I got ta spend for food and my lease."

Martin says he was typically 'ghosted' when asking for his cash, or he would be told that they were still waiting on the dining establishment. However, the restaurant ensured him that his shifts had actually currently been paid to ViaOns. He claims the company still owes him over 1,000 euros. WhatsApp screenshots shared by the trainees portray a great deal of one-sided interaction in between the trainees and ViaOns, with the trainees sending suggestion after suggestion that they're waiting on pay from a long time earlier.

Legal action

Serpilin worked 3 days weekly for numerous months to save up for his trip to Sweden. He states he spoke to ViaOns before taking a trip and was guaranteed he 'd get his money on time, but as soon as in Sweden, he says he was ghosted and a lot of his plans were cancelled since he couldn't pay for them.

Despite this terrible experience, he continued to work with ViaOns and did receive some payments, but it would often take a long period of time and due to the delays he says he was essentially broke, waiting on a number of months of pay. He talked to good friends who remained in the exact same boat as him and discovered a debt collection agency ready to assist them get the cash.

With time, the number of trainees attempting to get their money rose to sixteen. The students discovered each other through their own networks, implying they are not always the only ones affected. More recently, they're speaking to an attorney and desire to pursue a legal case, which has changed their strategy of utilizing a collection company.

Societal issue

Providing the trainees with legal assistance is a bit tricky according to legal representative Dylan Schreurs, who has actually looked into the case and is going over possible actions with the involved students. "I believe it's a societal issue that these are all students who really need this money, however can't look for [subsidized] legal help since they're viewed as freelancers", Schreurs explains. "They're truly failing the cracks."

The lawyer thinks the trainees have an extremely strong case and states that even if the restaurants did not move their incomes, ViaOns would still be required to pay the students. But he also thinks the case could be bigger than simply getting the trainees their lost earnings, as he believes ViaOns might be wrongfully dealing with individuals as freelancers rather of employed workers. "That would suggest they have been utilizing extremely cheap labour while getting rich from it without contributing to our social security systems", states Schreurs.

Taking out loans

According to an Excel file they made, the group of sixteen students is owed over 13,000 euros. Serpilin is awaiting the biggest quantity: almost 4,000 euros. He says he needed to take out loans to spend for groceries and lease. "There have been a lot of days that my friends go out and I either join them without getting anything, or I simply do not go since I can't afford it."

Most of all, he would explain the scenario as awkward. "How do you inform your good friends or family that you work 3 days a week, however then unexpectedly you need to loan cash to spend for things? I work every weekend and have absolutely nothing to reveal for it." Martin felt a similar embarrassment when asking his office on 3 different celebrations if they have actually paid ViaOns.

Playing favourites

The 3 trainees that talked to Ad Valvas seem like the money has actually been stolen from them. "It feels extremely deliberate on their part", states Martin. The UvA trainee likewise thinks that the business plays favourites with its employees. He claims to be knowledgeable about particular individuals making money before others for the precise very same shift.

If somebody starts 'being irritating' about not making money in time, the UvA student says the company will dabble them and keep stringing them along. "I've seen that if you're regional and you're their pal, you're not going to experience lots of problems."

But international trainees who end up leaving the nation might be less likely to get their cash back. Among them is still owed for working on King's Day in 2024 and has actually since relocated to another country, the UvA trainee states.

Ad Valvas has been in touch with ViaOns, but ViaOns has not yet answered our concerns or provided a declaration. Should they still supply a reaction, it will be added to this short article.