No exploitation
The committee of experts presented its findings at the end of November 2013. There is and has been no exploitation according to the committee, neither in a strictly legal sense nor in a social sense. This became clear after a careful analysis of the remuneration, working hours, and housing of the Portuguese employees of Rimec. 'There is no forced labour under poor working conditions; the workers receive a gross salary in line with the requirements of the Collective Labour Agreement for the construction industry; overtime is remunerated in line with the requirements of the Collective Labour Agreement for the construction industry with supplementary percentages of 25% and 50%; and employees are provided with decent housing,' states the report by the committee of experts. 

However, a number of aspects of the Collective Labour Agreement for the construction industry do need to be corrected. The committee of experts presents a number of important recommendations in its comprehensive report. In particular, it recommends the dejuridification of the issues, and reaching solutions by means of an amicable agreement with a focus on the situation of the workers and the progress of the project.

Although the clients have no formal authority to intervene, the committee of experts notes that Avenue2 has indicated that it will take appropriate measures immediately if unacceptable situations arise.  
The criticisms set out by the committee of experts:
  • Payments must be corrected in accordance with article 55 of the Collective Labour Agreement for the construction industry. According to this article, the employer must take care of housing for foreign employees. -      
  • The number of working hours is too high and must be corrected.    
  • The employees must be in possession of their safety passes themselves.