TRAM

Background

Migrant workers account for a significant proportion of the workforce in food production and agriculture in the Euregio region. The working and living conditions of many transnational migrant workers are extremely precarious; in the border region, a complex legal situation has facilitated the exploitation of transnational migrant workers.

Objective

TRAM is the first project to conduct a comprehensive study of the experiences of transnational migrant workers in the meat industry and agriculture who live on the German side of the border in the Euregio Rhein-Waal and are employed in the Netherlands and North Rhine-Westphalia
Establishment of cross-border exchange structures for social counselling

Expected results

Findings on the living and working conditions of transnational migrant workers in the Euregio/NRW
Development of models for decent work and decent housing for transnational migrant workers
Action plan for cross-border social counselling

Project management

Prof. Dr. Ingrid Jungwirth

Social Sciences with Focus on Diversity and Inclusion

+49 2821 80673 349

Kleve Campus

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Research Associate

Marius Glassner

marius.glassner(at)hochschule-rhein-waal.de

Student involvement

Dragoș Moroșanu

Dragos.Morosanu@hochschule-rhein-waal.de

Cristina Baiura

Cristina.Baiura(at)hochschule-rhein-waal.de

Partners

Anita Böcker, Pascal Beckers (Radboud University, NL)

Adriaan Von Harenberg (Municipality of Apeldoorn, NL)

Andreas Kochs (Euregio Rhine-Waal, Germany)

Duration

23 June – 27 January

Funded under Interreg VI A

Project partners

Rhine-Waal University of Applied Sciences, Radboud University, Municipality of Apeldoorn, Euregio Rhine-Waal

Jungwirth, Ingrid/ Glassner, Marius (2025): Transnational labour migration in the Euregio Rhine-Waal – A study of the meat industry and agriculture. In: Studies in Labour and Industrial Sociology, 18 (1), 73–89. ISSN 1866-9549
Gottlieb, Nora/ Jungwirth, Ingrid/ Glassner, Marius/ de Lange, Tesseltje/ Mantu, Sandra/ Forst, Linda (2025): How did governments protect immigrant workers in the meat industry during the COVID-19 pandemic? Insights from a comparative policy analysis in Germany, the Netherlands, and the USA. In: Globalization and Health 21, 10. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12992-025-01104-9
Jungwirth, Ingrid/ Glassner, Marius (2024): Transnational work migrants in the
Euregio Rhine-Waal: Cross-border mobility in the meat processing industry and agriculture in a transnational labour market between East and West. In: Political Science Applied, 15, pp. 38–42. ISSN 2306-5907
Jungwirth, Ingrid/ Glassner, Marius (2024): Labour migration across borders – Working and living conditions of migrant workers in relevant sectors in the Euregio Rhine-Waal. Kleve: Rhine-Waal University of Applied Sciences.
The report can be downloaded from the Downloads section at https://www.hochschule-rhein-waal.de/de/fakultaeten/gesellschaft-und-oekonomie/forschung/forschungsprojekte/arbeitsmigration-zwischen-den.

On Thursday 19 February 2026, an information session will take place at Apeldoorn Town Hall from 1 pm to 5 pm, during which project manager Adriaan van Harenberg will present a project plan on labour migration. The plan is for an inspiring and interactive afternoon that will provide an overview of the current status of the project plan. Following a welcome, the labour migration project, the work of the WIN information points and a local action plan will be presented. A short presentation is also planned to highlight the significance of the project from a managerial or political perspective. Other members of the project group will present their ongoing activities and progress to date, supplemented by interactive elements such as questions and discussions, as well as a short tour of the town hall if possible. Important note: The event will be limited to 40 people.
If you are interested, please contact edith.kinket(at)apeldoorn.nl.
The third Law Clinic in the field of social counselling will take place on Thursday 23 April from 13:00 to 16:30 at Radboud University in Nijmegen, focusing on the theme of ‘Health and Illness in the Workplace’. A programme is currently being finalised and will be sent out shortly, along with an invitation to attend the event!
Anyone already interested in taking part is welcome to contact Marius Glassner at marius.glassner(at)hochschule-rhein-waal.de.

On 22 January, the second ‘Work and Workplaces’ Field Lab took place at Rheinische Pilz Zentrale in Geldern, organised in collaboration with the ‘Work and Workplaces’ and ‘Housing and Community Life’ working groups. Rheinische Pilz Zentrale provided an insight into a company regarded as exemplary. First, the company as a whole and the various work processes were presented, with questions regarding pay, social security and working conditions for migrant workers also being answered. Subsequently, the specially constructed accommodation was toured and the facilities available to employees on site were explained. In a concluding discussion session, the employer’s perspective was contrasted with that of the employees, represented by Faire Mobilität, and supplemented by a contribution from colleagues at Radboud University on conditions in the Netherlands. In this way, the Field Lab helped to highlight examples of good practice and further deepen the professional exchange between businesses, advisory services and academia.
On 16 October, the second Law Clinic within the TRAM project took place at Rhine-Waal University of Applied Sciences. This was a practical workshop for staff at advice centres working with migrant workers in the border region. This time, the focus was on the topic of dismissal. Together with legal experts from Germany (Aktion Würde und Gerechtigkeit e.V.) and the Netherlands (Het Juridisch Loket), differences in German and Dutch labour law were discussed, for example regarding notice periods and temporary agency work. It became particularly clear just how complex the legal situation of transnational migrant workers is, especially in a cross-border context. The aim of the event was to strengthen advice centres in the border region and to deepen knowledge of dismissal law issues in the German-Dutch context. As with all TRAM events, this Law Clinic also provided an opportunity for professional exchange. An updated contact list, containing all known relevant points of contact for migrant workers, is intended to facilitate networking among advice centres in the Euregio in future. A total of three Law Clinics are planned within the TRAM project. The third event is scheduled for spring 2026. Further information will follow via the TRAM website and the project’s own newsletter.
On 10 July, the second Field Lab on the topic of Social Counselling / Sociale Begeleiding took place at Rhine-Waal University as part of the TRAM project. The event served as a platform for professional exchange between social counselling centres and provided insights into key aspects of counselling practice. To begin with, project findings on the registration situation and known accommodation for migrant workers in the district of Kleve were presented. The data is based on municipal enquiries and was contextualised within census and Central Register of Foreigners data. A key focus was on victim protection. Joachim Verhoeven from the Kleve District Police reported on current practice in Germany and highlighted differences compared to structures in the Netherlands. The importance of handling victims with sensitivity, as well as the need for suitable accommodation, became particularly clear. The second part focused on engaging with migrant workers, both online and offline. Contributions from Szabolcs Sepsi (Faire Mobilität), Traian Danciu (Arbeit und Leben NRW) and Monique Gerrits-Hooijer (Zorg- en Veiligheidshuis Noord-Limburg) highlighted how important a targeted approach, particularly in the native language, is for reaching the target group. Finally, there was a discussion on how advice centres in the border region can better publicise their services. The targeted use of social media, as is already being trialled in the ‘Fair Support for Labour Migration’ project, was cited as a promising approach.
On 20 May 2025, as part of the Interreg project TRAM, a field lab took place at a horticultural company in Horst aan de Maas on the topic of “Accommodation for migrant workers – good practices, new tools and future developments” – with the aim of showcasing successful accommodation for migrant workers and discussing current developments in legislation and local policy. Following a guided tour of the company’s own accommodation, three experts presented different perspectives (Kamiel Bartels, agricultural consultancy firm Arvalis; Sjang Drabbels, Project Manager for International Workers at the Municipality of Venlo; Stéphanie Groothedde, Legal Adviser at the Association of Netherlands Municipalities (VNG)). The discussion revealed that the housing shortage is a challenge in terms of both quantity and quality. Rising standards lead to higher rents – a conflict of objectives between quality and affordability. Furthermore, new Dutch regulations could increase the pressure on German border municipalities.
On 29 April 2025, the Social Counselling/Sociale Begeleiding working group held a Law Clinic as the first thematic project activity within the TRAM project. The event took place at Rhine-Waal University of Applied Sciences. The Law Clinic offered advice centres for migrants the opportunity to receive support from legal experts on specific cases from the field of social counselling. Thanks to the expertise of Klaus Körner (Aktion Würde und Gerechtigkeit e.V.) and Gosia Szymaniak (Het Juridisch Loket), specific case studies from both countries could be discussed and compared. The aim of the TRAM Law Clinic is to improve legal support for people working across borders and to connect advice centres. Two further Law Clinics are planned for 2025 and 2026. Information will follow here on our website and in the quarterly TRAM newsletter.
On 13 March 2025, the project was presented to an interested specialist audience in the lecture ‘TRAM – Transnational Labour Migration in the German and Dutch Meat Industry in the Euregio Rhine-Waal Region’ during the workshop ‘Work and Survival: Current Research on the Meat Industry’ at the Institute for Sociological Research (SoFi) in Göttingen.
On 22 January 2025, the workshop “Good Work – Attracting and Retaining Workers from South-Eastern Europe”, organised by the Working Group on Labour and Enterprises/Arbeid en Bedrijven, took place at Haus Riswick in Kleve. The workshop was organised in collaboration with the North Rhine-Westphalia Chamber of Agriculture and was aimed at employers in the agricultural sector. The focus was on how migrant workers can be recruited fairly and retained by agricultural businesses in the long term. Legal and collective bargaining conditions, guidance on fair recruitment, the basics of respectful communication on farms, and opportunities for the integration of migrant workers were presented. Participants discussed problems in the recruitment process, the fierce competition for labour, and issues relating to intercultural communication, as well as potential solutions. Agricultural businesses on both sides of the border face major challenges in employing staff. Further dialogue and the development of models for decent work and decent living conditions can point the way out of numerous problems – not only for the employment of migrant workers, but for good cooperation on farms in general. The programme can be found at: https://hochschule-rhein-waal.sciebo.de/s/LYO47xZTzVSxud7
On 12 July 2024, the project was presented to an academic audience in a lecture entitled ‘Transnational Labour Migration in the Euregio – A Study of the Meat Industry and Agriculture’ before the Section for Labour and Industrial Sociology of the German Sociological Association. The spring conference was held under the title ‘Migration and Work – Current Research, Methodological Reflections and Theoretical Implications’.
On 4 July 2024, the first Field Lab in the thematic area of Work and Businesses/Arbeid en Bedrjiven took place at Rhine-Waal University of Applied Sciences. The aim of the meeting was, on the one hand, to bring stakeholders together and, on the other, to plan a workshop initially aimed at employers in the agricultural sector on the German side of the border who employ migrant workers. The workshop, planned in collaboration with the North Rhine-Westphalia Chamber of Agriculture, is to be titled “Good Work – Attracting and Retaining Workers from South-Eastern Europe”. The workshop will be divided into the areas of management, onboarding and best practice. The plan is to hold the workshop in Germany in January 2025 and to open it up to Dutch businesses that are interested.
On 27 June 2024, the second part of the first Field Lab organised by the Social Counselling/Sociale Begeleiding working group took place at Rhine-Waal University of Applied Sciences. The aim of the Social Counselling/Sociale Begeleiding Field Lab was to connect staff from various counselling centres on both sides of the border, gain insight into working methods and responsibilities on both sides of the border, familiarise participants with counselling cases, and compile questions and interests from the counselling organisations for the TRAM project. Among other things, the aim was to identify requirements for a planned law clinic. With participants from various sectors of social counselling in Germany and the Netherlands, it was established that, amongst other things, an overview of counselling centres with contact details on each side of the border would be of great benefit, as would an overview of the most important regulations to aid understanding.
On 11 June 2024, the first Field Lab on Housing and Coexistence took place at Radboud University in Nijmegen. The aim of this meeting on the topic of housing was to bring together staff and other officials from German and Dutch municipalities and regions to discuss bottlenecks and solutions for the accommodation of migrant workers in the border region and to gather ideas for follow-up activities. The participants at the meeting came from 14 different municipalities, regions or districts. In addition to gaining three insights into the different approaches taken by local authorities to address the sometimes precarious situation of migrant workers, questions were raised regarding the most important cross-border dimensions for improving the situation. This highlighted the relevance of cross-border exchange and the joint tackling of problems such as, amongst others, the difficulty of data exchange. Further meetings are planned to revisit and discuss the key issues in order to develop potential solutions.
On 18 April, the project report of the TRAM pilot project “Labour migration across borders – working and living conditions of migrant workers in relevant sectors in the Euregio Rhine-Waal region” was presented to the Committee on Construction, Housing and Digitalisation of the North Rhine-Westphalia State Parliament. The report can now be downloaded from the Downloads section.
On 22 February 2024, the first Field Lab on the topic of social counselling took place in collaboration with the Ministry of Labour, Health and Social Affairs and the Ministry of Home Affairs, Local Government, Construction and Digitalisation.
On 1 February 2024, the public launch event for the TRAM project took place at the Euregio Forum of the Euregio Rhine-Waal in Kleve. Several media outlets reported on the event, including https://www1.wdr.de/nachrichten/rheinland/leiharbeiter-ausbeutung-hochschule-kleve-100.html (German) and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1JAkHigrCnQ (Dutch)
On 6 December 2023, the project was presented at the Border Region Conference in Nijmegen during the workshop ‘Support for migrant workers’
On 30 November 2023, the project was presented at the Laboratorium Niederrhein in Wesel. The NRZ also reported on this: https://www.nrz.de/staedte/kreis-wesel/niederrhein-beim-menschenhandel-nicht-wegsehen-id240748826.html
On 24 November 2023, the externally funded project “TRAM – Transnational Labour Migration in the Euregio” was launched with a kick-off event at the Faculty of Society and Economics, Rhine-Waal University of Applied Sciences. Funded under Interreg VI, the project is being led by Prof. Dr Ingrid Jungwirth in a collaboration between Rhine-Waal University of Applied Sciences (Research Associate Marius Glassner), Radboud University (Dr Pascal Beckers and Dr Anita Böcker), the Municipality of Apeldoorn (Iezte Oostinga) and Euregio Rhine-Waal (Andreas Kochs) until 2026. The overarching objective of TRAM is to improve the working and living conditions of transnational migrant workers in the Euregio by establishing cross-border exchange structures for social counselling. Further information on the event can be found at: https://idw-online.de/de/news826502