Labour inspectors found illegal immigrants and examples of deliberate underpayment in more than one third of spot checks carried out on cleaning companies last year, according to the service’s annual report.

Problems with staff papers and payments crop up in one in six investigations on average.
Illegal workers from Bulgaria are increasingly common, replacing people from Africa the report said. Bulgaria is a member of the EU but its nationals need work permits to get a job in the Netherlands.
Checks on cleaning firms and their subcontractors and companies with their own in-house cleaners, are to be stepped up this year.
Labour inspectors handed out fines totalling €46.7m in 2008, the report said.