A-Infos (en) Over 130 illegalised workers on Hungerstrike in the Netherlands

[lokabaal@dsl.nl (De Fabel van de illegaal)]

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Please, distribute this statement to all your contacts and send us your solidarity
statements.
Over 130 illegalised workers on Hungerstrike 
in Saint Agnes church in The Hague - the Netherlands 
"We are the Victims of an Inhuman Policy"
"On Monday, the 30th of November 1998, we, a group of over 130 illegalised
workers, have started a hungerstrike because the Dutch government has
refused to grant us our legitimate rights of residence in the Netherlands.
We have found shelter in the Saint Agnes church in The Hague. For many years
we have worked under harsh circumstances and contributed a lot to the Dutch
economy. But now, the Dutch government makes our lives impossible. The
police is hunting for us and is invading our houses. During the past few
weeks, many illegalised workers, among whom were members of our
Action-committee, were kidnapped and deported. We stand with our back
against the wall. We call upon the government for a "Six-years-rule" for
legalization without the additional conditions that are impossible to meet.

Welcome as workers, not as human beings
When we arrived in the Netherlands, in the seventies, eighties and nineties,
we were taken on as workers. The government gave us a fiscal number to
collect the taxes on our wages and profit from our labor. But they wouldn't
give us a residence-permit. We were welcome to work in the Netherlands, but
not to live here. We have been living in the Netherlands for many years now,
some of us with their wife and children. We have built up our lives here and
we feel at home in this country, where our friends and colleagues live. At
the same time we are living in the torment of uncertainty. Any time the
police can come to capture and deport us. Everything that we have worked and
lived for, would be destroyed at once.

Apply for a residence permit denied
All hungerstrikers have applied for a residence-permit based on the
so-called "Six-years-rule". According to this rule, people who have worked
and paid taxes in the Netherlands for six years or more should be given a
residence permit. But the government introduced some additional conditions,
and rejected our applications. The government is saying that we should have
worked those six years without any interruption. Most of us have been
seasonal workers in greenhouses and catering. The Dutch government knows
very well that for a seasonal worker it's impossible to work all weeks of
the year!

Impossible condition
* People who have had a legal status for a short time during the six years
working period, have been rejected, as the government refuses to include
this legal working period in their counting.
* The government has rejected people who have worked and paid taxes for more
than six years continuously, saying that when the application was submitted
the people had only worked for five and a half years.
* People who have with some interruptions worked and paid taxes for many
more than six years were rejected because the government says the work
should have been six years in a row.
* The government has rejected people who have worked for many more than six
years, saying that in each of those years the work should have been spread
out over 200 days and it should not have been concentrated in the high season.

No way out !
The Dutch government has introduced over the last years many attacks on our
livelihood. As illegalised workers we have been paying 60% of our income in
taxes to the government since July 1994. Normally even people with a income
of 100.000 guilders a year pay no more than 40% income-taxes. But if we earn
2000 guilders a month, the government takes 1200 guilders from us, and
leaves us only 800 guilders to sustain our family and ourselves. 
For many years we have been paying for health insurance, child-support and
unemployment benefit and so on. In July 1998 the Dutch government introduced
the so-called "Koppelingswet" by which takes all the rights from us that we
have worked and paid taxes for so many years. On top of this the government
is increasing pressure on our employers to fire us. The police have
increased the number of raids every day; people like us are arrested and
being deported to their country of origin.

The Parliament refuses to act
For more than one and half year we have been campaigning and protesting
against this inhuman policy. We have held many marches and rallies in front
of the Parliament and the Ministry of Justice. Many organizations support
our demands. In May 1998 we presented a petition to the Parliament, which
has been signed by 130 lawyers and more then 300 organizations, including
the FNV (Federation of National Trade Unions), the local authorities of the
city of Leiden and Groningen, many churches, migrant-organizations, and
employers from the greenhouses.
The majority of the political parties in the Parliament have stated in
discussions that they want a satisfactory solution for the victims of the
Six-years-rule. But every time the Parliament and the secretary of state our
pointing to one another to come up with a solution.

Hungerstrike to live
In stead of giving us our legitimate rights, the government keeps on
attacking our livelihoods. We are the victims of an inhuman policy en we
have no way out. All people wish to live in health and happiness, together
with their families. But the government leaves us no other choice than to
start this hunger strike. It's paradoxical that, in order for us to gain a
dignified existence, we are forced to put our lives in jeopardy.
The minimal conditions for a dignified existence are safety, security and a
future-perspective. We cannot understand that in the Netherlands, one of the
countries that is seen as the cradle of human rights and democracy, we have
to sacrifice our lives in order to achieve this. We are determined to
continue with our action until all our demands are met.

We demand:
* The right to a residence-permit for all people who have worked and paid
taxes in the Netherlands for six years or more.
* Extension of the Six-years-rule."

Action-committee & Solidarity-committee 'Plus 6 Min 6'
Adress: 
St. Agnesparochie
Beeklaan 186
2562 AP Den Haag
Netherlands
Tel: 0031-703617822
Fax: 0031-703617452
E-mail: hongerstaking@plus6min6.nl

The Solidarity-committee 'Plus 6 Min 6' are: 
Aktiekomite Plus Zes Min Zes, Esabr, de Fabel van de illegaal, Federatie van
Arbeiders uit Turkije in Nederland (HTIF), Nederland Bekent Kleur (NBK),
Koerdische Arbeidersunie, Nieuwe Democratische Jongerenorganisatie, Nieuwe
Democratische Vrouwenorganisatie, Ondersteuningskomite illegale arbeiders
(OKIA), El Ouahda, Participating Refugees in Multicultural Europe (PRIME),
Regionaal Steunpunt Allochtonen (RSA), St.Agnesparochie, Steunpunt illegalen
Utrecht, Turkse Arbeiders- en Studentenvereniging (TIOD).

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