Today the employees of VDL NedCar are on strike in Holtum. The last car factory in the Netherlands has announced that it will fire part of its staff. It would be no less than 1800 to 1900 jobs, which is about half of the employees.
Chairman of MKB-Limburg Martijn van Helvert says he understands that employees are worried. “It’s about your job, isn’t it?” With this decision, VDL NedCar may also be driving away customers for the future. ‘That is never a good advertisement,’ says Van Helvert.
MKB-Limburg says that going on strike does not help with issues like this. The management of VDL NedCar has announced that the social plan that the employees are striving for is priceless. Van Helvert says that it is difficult for MKB-Limburg to come between the two parties. “Getting fired is never fun, but if there has to be a moment, this isn’t even the worst moment.” Van Helvert refers to the large staff shortage that small and medium-sized companies in the region are struggling with. ‘We desperately need the hands, heads and people.’
Solutions
MKB-Limburg and the UWV have joined forces to organize a job market for the employees who will be fired in November. Small and medium-sized businesses need a lot of people, so the parties can help each other there. NedCar’s suppliers may also run into problems with these changes.
‘Getting fired is never nice’
If a large company shrinks drastically, it is strongly felt in the region. Fortunately, according to Van Helvert, not all companies are dependent on NedCar. ‘We have more great companies in the car industry, the installation industry, the solar panel industry, you name it. Many people are still needed here and they are very welcome.’
According to Van Helvert, the working conditions at NedCar were not bad due to the many irregular shifts. It is now up to the SMEs to entice employees to come and work for them, thinks Van Helvert. ‘There is still some work to be done on the part of the employers. And that is now also the task of the labor market at the moment.’
