FNV leader puts on fine cloth: ‘Trade union has lost relevance’ Financial

This concerns, among other things, the flexibilization of the labor market, but also other social problems that have arisen and which, in his opinion, the union offered insufficient counterweight. According to Elzinga, the union has “indeed lost its strength and relevance.”

That’s what Elzinga said in the biannual Banning Lecture. According to Elzinga, the association functioned as a “kind of social ANWB” and “sharp edges were often brushed away” if “it was estimated that collective actions against undesirable developments were not feasible.”

Elzinga cited as examples where things went wrong, among other things, the allowance affair and gas extraction in Groningen. “Many citizens, employees, after forty years of ‘sale’ feel sold, orphaned, betrayed, trampled and torn apart by their government,” said Elzinga. The lecture, delivered by Elzinga in the debate center De Rode Hoed, is named after pastor Willem Banning (1888-1971), one of the founders of the PvdA.

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According to the trade unionist, the Netherlands needs a ‘new social contract’ between citizens and government to restore confidence in politics, the rule of law and society. The government must hear, see and take people seriously. The government must also stimulate an environment in which people count and have a say in their lives and work. According to him, this is a start for solving many social issues that the Netherlands is currently dealing with.

The social contract also needs a new definition of the concept of freedom. “Market fundamentalism has not only eroded the public sector and organized solidarity – and with it people’s security. It has also increased inequality and curtailed people’s freedom. If the government seeks new confidence, restoring this freedom is essential,” said the union leader.

Since 2018, the lecture has been given every two years on Banning’s birthday. Former PvdA leader Lodewijk Asscher (2018) and Urgenda director Marjan Minnesma (2020) preceded Elzinga.

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