Avans+ University of Applied Sciences and fifteen Indonesian nurses reached a settlement in the court in Breda on Friday afternoon. The nurses trained at the Brabant University of Applied Sciences and worked at healthcare institutions in Drenthe and Flevoland, but felt that they were misled by the university about the compensation they received for this.
The nurses came to the Netherlands in 2021. In addition to an internship allowance, the group would receive a one-off relocation allowance of 7,750 euros. Avans+ chose to divide that amount and pay it over 48 months. Only: this division was not allowed according to the tax rules.
Mistakes made
At the start of the hearing in Breda, Avans+ lawyer Interfurth admitted that mistakes had been made about how the moving expenses reimbursement was arranged. “But that does not mean that Avans+ can now be obliged to grant additional compensation.” The students had a presentation from Avans+ in September 2022 in which the error with the reimbursement was discussed and it was indicated that they would no longer receive that money.
Lawyer Van der Pas of the nurses indicated that that presentation had not come across well. “They do speak Dutch, but their knowledge of Dutch tax law is lagging behind. It is also not customary in their culture to speak out,” to people higher in the hierarchy.