Dutch agencies face surge in complaints over denied sick leave for Polish migrant workers

The Stichting Naleving CAO voor Uitzendkrachten (SNCU) has reported a sharp increase in complaints about rejected sick‑leave notifications for labour migrants, particularly Polish workers employed through Dutch temporary‑agency contracts. While the organisation received 122 complaints last year, the tally has already reached 92 this year.

Migrants often choose to recover in their home country, but agencies struggle to verify medical certificates from abroad, resulting in many legitimate sick‑leave claims being refused. This leaves workers without income and creates administrative burdens for employers. SNCU director Jaap Buis warned that refusing legitimate claims breaches the collective‑labour agreement and urged agencies to adopt clear, multilingual sick‑leave protocols and transparent benefit calculations.