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11/1 Jurists want to stay in Oudemanhuispoort

8/2 Mayor’s portrait

8/2 Websites for social cohesion

7/2 Spreading tourism proceeds with difficulty

7/2 GroenLinks on districts: Be a man

6/2 Zuideramstel opens new office on Sabbath

5/2 The truth about integration

4/2 Wilders has little support on Amsterdam

3/2 Elite involved in neighbourhood

2/2 Johnnie Walker avoids taxes in Amsterdam

1/2 Rotterdam to tinker with district councils as well

31/1 Wooden rowing boats to disappear from Amstel

31/1 ZeeburgTV launched

27/1 Privacy activists to mess up loyalty card system

27/1 A few were still coughing, but that was an act

27/1 Chrisis in de Baarsjes

26/1 Youth have positive view of districts

24/1 Action groups call for Carmel and Jaffa boycott

24/1 PvdA members dismiss plan for districts

23/1 KLM takes on crisis with new uniform

23/1 District office not squatted

21/1 Merge districts

20/1 Closing squat bar Vrankrijk not necessary

20/1 Cleaners welcome new Schiphol director

18/1 Palestine at the Jewish Historical Museum

18/1 What is the right size for a district?

17/1 PvdA Oost against fewer districts

16/1 Committee: 7 districts by 2010

15/1 Soldiers may attend Afghanistan debate after all

15/1 Bait bike leads to arrest

14/1 Youth for Christ to republish vacancies

13/1 Paintings of the Zuidas

13/1 New Youth for Christ contoversy

11/1 Social cohesion initiative raises eyebrows

10/1 Fewer districts in 2010

10/1 Zuidas: People feel that we are losers

9/1 Fun on the ice - but not for all

9/1 Supermarket coupon fraud thwarted

9/1 I Amsterdam must remain exclusive

8/1 Use term Apartheid in every discussion

8/1 No city kiosk in Amsterdam yet

7/1 Snow

7/1 Fatima Elatik to run Zeeburg

7/1 Municipal managers to return to shop floor

4/1 Police: take photo of strange people

3/1 Gaza protest criticises politicians

1/1 Thousands to protest against attacks on Gaza

1/1 Mustapha Laboui leaves district council

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Alderman: Polish workers welcome

11 April 2007 - Because of housing problems, restrictions for immigrants from new EU-member states should not be lifted, the four largest cities recently wrote in a letter to Parliament. Alderman Tjeerd Herrema now distances himself from the letter.

Until March next year, immigrants from countries such as Poland need a permit to work in the Netherlands. In order to qualify, they must have suitable housing.

It is ‘irresponsible’ to abolish this requirement so soon, wrote Alderman Marnix Norder of the Hague, also on behalf of Amsterdam, Rotterdam and Utrecht. According to the letter, there is a housing shortage, making immigrants dependent on shady providers of illegal housing.

GroenLinks party leader Judith Sargentini criticised Herrema. Work permits make immigrants dependent on their employer and therefore vulnerable to exploitation, manifesting itself in the form of overtime and underpayment.

Herrema’s spokesperson today confirmed that he distances himself from the letter asking not to lift the work permit requirement. He will inform Parliament of his point of view.

The Netherlands Confederation of Trade Unions (FNV) points out that unions and employers’ organisations have reached an agreement stating that employers will remain responsible for immigrant workers after the abolishment of the work permit. The Confederation finds that employers and municipalities must make arrangements for decent housing.

The Hague municipality announced last week that it has reached an agreement with a trade organisation to provide 50 houses to 200 immigrants. In sum, 15,000 to 20,000 immigrants work in the region.

Amsterdam will not take any measures. According to Herrema’s spokesperson, there is no need to do so, because far less immigrants work in the capital than in the Hague and Rotterdam.

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