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Last winter, Computer technology student Aaron Serpilin was traveling through Sweden by himself. He worked several months to be able to afford the trip. As he discovered himself in the village of Abisko, he could not afford to return to the airport. He worked for the cash, however says he wasn't paid on time. "It was bothersome having to ask my family for two hundred euros to not get stuck on the North Pole", he says.

Similarly, an UvA student treated his sweetheart to a getaway in Spain last summertime. He states he was guaranteed he 'd be spent for his work on time. Instead, he needed to ask his household for money and his sweetheart cracked in too.

Ghosted

Both trainees seem like they have actually been benefited from by task agency ViaOns, and they belong to a bigger group of VU and UvA students who are all attempting to make money. They utilized the company due to the fact that it was a hassle-free way to get fairly well-paying hospitality tasks. ViaOns (which indicates 'through us' in Dutch) connects employees to business such as restaurants and bars. The earnings are then supposed to go through ViaOns to the staff members.

The students apparently got their cash in the start, although there might be a couple of weeks between doing a shift and earning money. But they say that at some point, the delays became worse, and the students wound up being owed large amounts of cash for months on end without any trustworthy sign of when or perhaps if they would receive anything. "I don't know whether they're putting it in crypto or investing it elsewhere. It's a mystery to me why they do not pay their workers", the UvA student says.

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

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

Legal action

Serpilin worked 3 days per week for a number of months to save up for his trip to Sweden. He states he talked with ViaOns before traveling and was ensured he 'd get his cash on time, once in Sweden, he says he was ghosted and a lot of his plans were cancelled since he could not spend for them.

Despite this horrible experience, he continued to work with ViaOns and did receive some payments, however it would frequently take a long time and due to the hold-ups he states he was essentially broke, waiting for several months of pay. He spoke to 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 students trying to get their cash rose to sixteen. The trainees discovered each other through their own networks, suggesting they are not necessarily the only ones affected. More just recently, they're speaking to a lawyer and dream to pursue a legal case, which has replaced their technique of utilizing a debt collection agency.

Societal problem

Providing the trainees with legal assistance is a bit difficult according to legal representative Dylan Schreurs, who has looked into the case and is discussing possible actions with the involved students. "I believe it's a social issue that these are all trainees who really require this money, but can't use for [subsidized] legal help since they're seen as freelancers", Schreurs describes. "They're truly falling through the cracks."
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The legal representative thinks the trainees have a really strong case and says that even if the restaurants did not move their wages, ViaOns would still be required to pay the trainees. But he also believes 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 salaried employees. "That would suggest they have been using extremely inexpensive 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 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 head out and I either join them without getting anything, or I just do not go since I can't manage it."
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Most of all, he would describe the scenario as humiliating. "How do you inform your buddies or family that you work three days a week, however then suddenly you need to loan cash to spend for things? I work every weekend and have absolutely nothing to reveal for it." Martin felt a comparable shame when asking his office on 3 different celebrations if they've paid ViaOns.

Playing favourites

The 3 trainees that spoke to Ad Valvas feel like the cash has actually been stolen from them. "It feels really intentional on their part", states Martin. The UvA trainee likewise thinks that the company plays favourites with its workers. He claims to be knowledgeable about certain people getting paid before others for the specific same shift.

If someone begins 'being frustrating' about not making money in time, the UvA student says the business will dabble them and keep stringing them along. "I've noticed that if you're regional and you're their friend, you're not going to experience lots of issues."

But international trainees who wind up leaving the country may be less likely to get their refund. Among them is still owed for working on King's Day in 2024 and has since relocated to another nation, the UvA trainee says.

Ad Valvas has actually been in touch with ViaOns, however ViaOns has not yet addressed our concerns or offered a statement. Should they still provide a reaction, it will be included to this short article.