People working for Geert Wilders’ anti-immigration PVV have built up a pension gap of up to seven years and face fines of €25,000 for telling tales about the party, the Volkskrant reported at the weekend.

The paper says it has seen job contracts given to PVV party workers which outline the terms under which 33 people are employed by a foundation relating to the parliamentary party.

Workers risk a €25,000 fine for revealing information about the party to outsiders and are banned from talking to each other about their pay and employment contracts. They are also required to work unpaid overtime and campaign on behalf of the PVV, the Volkskrant says.

Pension scheme

The papers also show some workers have built up a pension gap of up to seven years because the PVV has only had a pension scheme since last year. Companies are not required by law to offer staff a pension scheme.

In a reaction, Wilders said pension premiums have been paid since the party had its own pension scheme. The fine for talking out of line is a ‘formality and has never been implemented,’ the party founder is quoted as saying by Nos television.

Sources have told the Volkskrant the PVV is finding it increasingly difficult to find staff, partly because of the taboo attached to working for the anti-immigration organisation.

The Hague

The party says Wilders was on the verge of pulling out of fighting the local elections in The Hague because of the shortage of good candidates. However, he was persuaded not to do so after opinion polls indicated the party would take eight seats.

In fact, the PVV won seven seats in The Hague and one councillor has already resigned in the wake of the anti-Moroccan chanting incident led by Wilders after the local vote.