Last winter season, Computer Science student Aaron Serpilin was taking a trip through Sweden by himself. He worked numerous months to be able to pay for the journey. As he discovered himself in the remote arctic town of Abisko, he could not afford to get back to the airport. He worked for the cash, but says he wasn't paid on time. "It was annoying needing to ask my household for 2 hundred euros to not get stuck on the North Pole", he states.

Similarly, an UvA student treated his sweetheart to a getaway in Spain last summertime. He says he was promised he 'd be paid for his deal with time. Instead, he needed to ask his family for cash and his girlfriend broke in too.

Ghosted

Both trainees feel like they have actually been made the most of by job company ViaOns, and they become part of a bigger group of VU and UvA trainees who are all trying to get paid. They used the firm because it was a practical way to get fairly well-paying hospitality jobs. ViaOns (which means 'through us' in Dutch) links workers to companies such as restaurants and bars. The incomes are then expected to go through ViaOns to the workers.

The students apparently got their money in the beginning, although there might be a couple of weeks in between doing a shift and earning money. But they say that at some time, the delays worsened, and the trainees ended up being owed large amounts of cash for months on end with no trusted indicator of when or even if they would get anything. "I do not know whether they're putting it in crypto or investing it somewhere else. It's a secret to me why they do not pay their employees", the UvA student states.

When it comes to Economics and Business Economics student Martin, he states he began asking for his money after awaiting more than a month. ViaOns informed him they were still waiting for the dining establishment to spend for his shifts. As another month passed, Martin chose to stop working completely till he earned money. "I was calling like twice a day saying: bro please, I need the cash. I got ta pay for food and my rent."

Martin says he was often 'ghosted' when requesting his money, or he would be told that they were still waiting on the dining establishment. However, the dining establishment assured him that his shifts had currently been paid to ViaOns. He claims the agency still owes him over 1,000 euros. WhatsApp screenshots shared by the students depict a lot of one-sided interaction between the trainees and ViaOns, with the trainees sending out pointer after suggestion that they're waiting on pay from a long period of time back.

Legal action

Serpilin worked three days each week for a number of months to conserve up for his trip to Sweden. He says he talked to ViaOns before taking a trip and was guaranteed he 'd get his cash on time, but as soon as in Sweden, he states he was ghosted and a number of his strategies were cancelled because he couldn't pay for them.

Despite this terrible experience, he continued to work with ViaOns and did receive some payments, but it would frequently take a very long time and due to the delays he says he was essentially broke, waiting on several months of pay. He spoke with buddies who remained in the same boat as him and discovered a collection agency going to assist them get the cash.

In time, the variety of trainees trying to get their money increased to sixteen. The students discovered each other through their own networks, suggesting they are not necessarily the only ones affected. More just recently, they're speaking to an attorney and dream to pursue a legal case, which has changed their method of using a debt collection agency.

Societal issue

Providing the trainees with legal help is a bit difficult according to lawyer Dylan Schreurs, who has actually looked into the case and is talking about prospective actions with the involved trainees. "I believe it's a societal issue that these are all students who really need this money, however can't make an application for [subsidized] legal aid because they're viewed as freelancers", Schreurs describes. "They're actually falling through the cracks."

The attorney believes the trainees have an extremely strong case and states that even if the restaurants did not move their incomes, ViaOns would still be obliged to pay the trainees. But he also believes the case could be larger than simply getting the trainees their lost salaries, as he believes ViaOns may be wrongfully dealing with individuals as freelancers instead of employed employees. "That would indicate they have actually been utilizing extremely cheap labour while getting rich from it without contributing to our social security systems", states Schreurs.

Getting loans

According to an Excel file they made, the group of sixteen students is owed over 13,000 euros. Serpilin is waiting for the largest quantity: almost 4,000 euros. He states he had to secure loans to spend for groceries and rent. "There have actually been a great deal of days that my pals go out and I either join them without getting anything, or I just don't go due to the fact that I can't afford it."

Most of all, he would explain the circumstance as embarrassing. "How do you inform your good friends or household that you work three days a week, but then suddenly you require to loan cash to pay for things? I work every weekend and have absolutely nothing to reveal for it." Martin felt a comparable embarrassment when asking his office on three different celebrations if they have actually paid ViaOns.

Playing favourites

The three trainees that consulted with Ad Valvas feel like the cash has actually been taken from them. "It feels really deliberate on their part", says Martin. The UvA trainee likewise thinks that the business plays favourites with its . He claims to be knowledgeable about particular people getting paid before others for the specific same shift.

If somebody starts 'being annoying' about not getting paid in time, the UvA trainee states the business will dabble them and keep stringing them along. "I've discovered that if you're regional and you're their good friend, you're not going to experience lots of issues."
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But global students who end up leaving the country might be less most likely to get their money back. One of them is still owed for dealing with King's Day in 2024 and has given that moved to another country, the UvA trainee states.

Ad Valvas has actually been in touch with ViaOns, but ViaOns has actually not yet addressed our concerns or provided a statement. Should they still provide a response, it will be included to this post.
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