The corona crisis affects everyone, not least of which the thousands of Polish and other temporary workers in the Netherlands. They are now losing their jobs and their homes, and are being excluded from financial bail-out schemes...

At some distribution centres, Polish and other EU workers – sick or not – are forced to work extremely long hours...

These cheap EU workers are now indispensable. While many Dutch people are at home, the Poles, the Romanians and the Bulgarians who can, are at work.

These ‘cheap Polish labour migrants’ ... are the order pickers, sorters, truck drivers and cleaners helping to keep the Netherlands going. They are the ones who will be called in to pick the tomatoes, the strawberries and the asparagus because Dutch farmers need them.

But in return, the government must take care of them. The government must protect them too.

Supermarkets can be fined up to €4,000 if they do not create a safe environment for their customers. But why not bring in fines for for the staffing agencies and their clients who fail to comply with the RIVM corona guidelines on the work floor, in housing and in transport to work?