FNV says that employees and clients have suffered enormous damage due to “mismanagement of thirteen aldermen”. “They demand at least a conversation with sincere apologies,” says Maaike van der Aar, FNV director of Youth Care. The chocolate bars are donated to the food bank.
At the end of last year, the municipalities of Zeeland thought that Intervence was too expensive and worked inefficiently. Intervence had to be lifted and the children and employees would be divided among three organizations. 3 million euros was set aside for this plan. One of those three organisations, Briedis, has since become declared bankrupt.
Plan rejected
Various inspectorates and Minister Sander Dekker for Legal Protection rejected the plan because the continuity of care for this vulnerable group of children was at risk. They slapped the Zeeland municipalities hard on the fingers. The municipalities had to go back to the drawing board and finally decided that Intervence was acquired by JB West from The Hague.
A lot has been destroyed during that entire process, according to FNV. “Many people have left and confidence in the Zeeland municipalities is completely gone,” says Van der Aar. “The municipalities only wanted to be in the front row for a dime and buy youth care as cheaply as possible. We could see that this was not going well from miles away.”
‘Chocolate doesn’t solve anything’
Because of the mistakes that were made, FNV hoped for an open apology. “A sop in the shape of a bar of chocolate solves nothing after months of waiting.” The union expects those apologies to be made eventually. “We assume that the aldermen will contact the people for a conversation. They know where to find us.”
Response: ‘Intended as a token of appreciation’
Jack Werkman, chairman of the Board Committee Purchasing Youth Aid Zeeland, says that the chocolate and attached card are intended as a token of appreciation. “In this way we would like to thank Intervence employees for their commitment to youth and families in Zeeland. It is a pity that this gesture is not appreciated by everyone and that the feeling that FNV appoints lives among some employees. The work of the employees of Intervence , now Youth Protection West Zeeland, is extremely important for Zeeland society and deserves a lot of appreciation. We would like to look ahead and continue to work together from a connection.”
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