From my experience of working in Holland, the way in which Ballast Nedam has treated staff and subcontractors at Ballast UK comes as no surprise.
The Dutch can, if it suits them, tell you one thing while planning to do just the opposite.

In the mid-1990s I was working as a projects director for a UK company based in France that specialised in the design and development of very large logistics parks. We were approached by a Dutch development authority and asked if we would prepare a masterplan for such a park. We were also asked to organise a sales campaign to attract occupiers, for which we would be paid a performance-related fee.

The Dutch rejected our masterplan and launched their own for the park. We didn't see a conflict of interest, but that changed when the first potential occupier turned up, seeking a very large warehouse. We undertook a great deal of design, costing and financing work to sell the deal to the occupier, and naturally we kept the development authority informed. Then, as we were about to exchange letters of intent, the occupier pulled out of negotiations. I was told that the development authority was offering them the same building on their site, but at a much lower price.

It later transpired that that certain staff at the authority were unhappy that a foreign company had been brought in and had taken over their jobs. Accordingy, they had taken our design and our occupier, completely redesigned their site to accommodate it, and then – being a public body – offered it the land at almost nil costs. This was done while we had assumed we were working in partnership. Needless to say we walked away from the agreement – and then the Dutch expressed surprise!

Postscript

Nicholas Kieft, Boroughbridge, North Yorkshire.