Speeches

Mr President, I would like to start with a closing line. And it reads: “The soft forces will certainly win in the end.” Allow me to be a little nostalgic in my last speech here as a MEP in plenary. Because we've come a long way. From Gothenburg to Porto and last week to Terhulpen. Over the past decade, I have had the honour of fighting for a more social Europe, for equal pay for equal work in the same workplace, adequate minimum wages, rules on pay transparency, to close the pay gap, and better protection of platform workers. But we're not there yet. Because unfortunately, employers are like a Caterpillar Never Enough. Like water, they always look for the lowest point, but then to produce as cheaply as possible and to get the highest possible profit. So we have to support the dikes well, no matter what the Terhulpen Declaration does. It states: Public money must go to decent work, covered by a collective agreement. Public money should be for the benefit of society, not at the expense of society. Now that there are rules against the exploitation of European workers, you see that employers seize the opportunity to put people in front of their cart from outside. That is why the European Labour Authority must tackle not only the exploitation of European workers, but also that of workers from outside Europe. To ensure workers and trade union rights, we need legislation for AI in the workplace. The workplace is changing a lot because of the digital and the green revolution. The commitment to actively involve and consult the social partners is essential. And yes, honestly, my hands are itchy. But I must also say: I have great confidence in our European Commissioner and spitzenkandidat Nicolas Schmit and my great colleagues from the S&D and the rest of the coordinators to also fight the next battle. Because the soft forces will win in the end. It was a great pleasure.

Mr President, allow me to make a comparison. For the last ten years, we have been working to remodel our garden. So we mowed the lawn, we planted new trees, we sewed the grass, and we sewed flowers, but we forgot that we never were able to remove or reduce the barrier that’s blocking the water supply. And the vital thing to make the garden grow is water and that’s lacking in the economic governance review. We know, of course, for years that the old rules didn’t work. They had to be revised, but we forgot to ensure enough room for investments. The lack of fiscal capacity ultimately dehydrates our economy. We need a strong investment plan that accompanies the new rules. So therefore I cannot, in good conscience, vote in favour of these rules.

Madam President, there are still right-wing conservatives who are still focussed on this old-fashioned narrative of the trickle-down economy at the cost of people, which has been debunked already for years. But luckily, I have to say there is a new wind blowing in Europe and last week was the proof of it. In La Hulpe we signed the declaration that sets the social agenda for the upcoming years, calling to promote collective bargaining in public procurement. A few days later, Enrico Letta presented his report to the European Council, where he argues that the internal market cannot flourish without the essential social values integrated in it. Competitiveness is not just about the lowest prices, it is also about upholding social values and high quality jobs. In order to break this downward spiral of the market at the cost of people, we need to revise our public procurement directives so the money works for the interests of the citizens.

Mr President, more than a million people in the Netherlands live in poverty and many of them work for uninhabitably low wages. Prices for rent, energy and groceries have risen considerably and many companies have benefited from that inflation. The European directive on adequate minimum wages adopted last year thanks to the work of Commissioner Schmit and this Parliament offers hope. But then the directive must be introduced carefully and correctly. And let me say: The clock is ticking. Every week that we wait longer than necessary for the minimum wage adjustment is a week in which children go to school without breakfast, in which people do not dare to go to a party because they do not have money for a gift or a week in which they hesitate: Do I pay the rent or do I pay the energy bill? Fortunately, there are countries that do not wait until the two years are over and I am pleased that the Commissioner is using this debate to call on the other group. Namely: The best way to fight poverty is to raise wages. Minister Van Gennip should follow the example and not give in to employers who stumble over an additional 1.2% increase. More is needed to combat poverty in the Netherlands. The clock is ticking. We still have 247 days.

Mr President, Minister, Commissioners, there is a housing crisis going on in Europe. If you have to find a roof over your head now, a decent house is the needle in the haystack. There is a lack of homes, the rents are sky high or the homes are poor in quality. We need an active housing policy, including in Europe. It is therefore essential that the European Commission and the Member States work together. Legislation is needed to ensure that, when new houses are built, at least 30% of these are available to the lower-income groups and another 30% to the middle-income groups. To me, it's clear: We can't leave the housing to the market. We can't just talk about homelessness. The right to decent housing is a human right. It is in the European Pillar. We need to make progress here.

Madam President, first things first – happy birthday to Javier Moreno Sánchez. This is indeed a special moment, and I hope you enjoy your evening later on. Voorzitter, commissaris, ik knok in dit Parlement al tien jaar voor gelijke rechten voor alle werknemers. Het recht op vrij verkeer is een werknemersrecht en dat moeten we te allen tijde verdedigen. Maar dit recht mag niet synoniem zijn met uitbuiting. Hele sectoren in Europa draaien op laagbetaalde arbeid en in feite keuren we daarmee goed dat arbeidsmigranten onder arbeidsvoorwaarden werken die we voor onszelf niet acceptabel zouden vinden. De gecombineerde vergunning biedt een veilige en legale toegangsroute naar de EU, maar we moeten geen kiloknallerarbeidskrachten of tweede- of derdeklassewerknemers willen creëren. Het is daarom aan ons allemaal om ervoor te zorgen dat al het werk veilig en eerlijk kan plaatsvinden. Lidstaten moeten gaan controleren of de gelijke rechten die op papier zijn afgesproken, wel worden nageleefd. En de ELA, de Europese Arbeidsautoriteit, moet een breder mandaat krijgen, met eigen onderzoeken, ook naar derde landen.

Mr President, Commissioner, ‘More theft than profit’: That's how the Jumbo supermarket headlined this year. At Ahold – Albert Heijn – they also pretended to have had a very tough year: even though the turnover had increased, the profit had been a little disappointing. A profit that is still at least 100 million. Part of that profit now goes to video cameras to prevent theft. But honestly, I think we are not solving the real problem, but rather the symptoms. Work must pay so that everyone can pay for their own groceries, so that everyone in the sector, from farmer to filler, receives a decent income from which he or she can pay for his or her groceries. It seems to me that the Commission is listening more to farmers. Even if, on a day like today, they put all of Brussels on stilts, we are still investing in a social dialogue, a strategic dialogue with the farmers. May I ask the question: What will the Commission do to increase the purchasing power of workers?

Mr President, thank you Vice-Presidents, dear Commissioner, dear colleagues, I think it’s safe to say that we are all disappointed. But perhaps we can also say we’re all angry because twice we have reached this agreement, twice the Member States failed to endorse it. And I think it sets to notice that liberal and conservative voices in France, Estonia, Greece and Germany are blocking the opportunity to protect 30 million platform workers. They have caved to the lobby of Uber and Bolt, and turned their back to the workers. And from this place, I’d like to remind us all a quote from the testimony of Mark MacGann, ex-Uber lobbyist here in this House. He said ‘when tech companies have disproportionate financial resources to push their message, at the expense of the far less powerful workers upon whom their model is built – there is something truly undemocratic happening.’ And that’s happening at the moment, something truly undemocratic. Member States should accept their responsibility and make an end to this deadlock. It was President von der Leyen who promised that she would work for better protection of platform workers. I’d like to keep her to the words and ask her to talk to these Member States who are now blocking this directive.

Mr President, Commissioner, it is nice that there are teachers from Zwolle in the public gallery. A very nice visit at the moment. I would like to start with a quote: ‘Now let no one claim that schoolmasters are not adventurous jobs.’ Master Staal, who taught at an Amsterdam poor school at the beginning of the twentieth century, speaks. He proudly writes about his profession, and rightly so. To those who haven't read it yet: Read "The Happy Class" by Theo Thijssen. Teachers shape the future and teaching is indeed a profession. However, there are more and more barriers that limit the work of teachers. If it is not the administrative burden, then it is a surplus of administrators and managers who limit the autonomy of the teacher, making them less than they would like to receive from teaching. That is why I am calling for more permanent contracts with a good salary and without creating second- or third-class teachers. Please give teachers the appreciation they deserve.

Mr President, Commissioner, traineeships often demand a great deal from trainees. Stories about a 32-hour work week and a set of tasks to counter you are often common and interns are far too often not hired as an extra labor force on top of the permanent team, but as a full-fledged force for work. They then do the same work as all other employees, but are not paid for it or are poorly paid for it. We are also hearing more and more stories from companies that are abusing the system. For months, a Dutch airline has deployed dozens of trainees as cabin crew with the same schedules, but without full pay. We often say: The future belongs to young people. But then we must also ensure that young people, regardless of their socio-economic background, are given every opportunity to start their careers. This requires legislation. Legislation that ensures that trainees are paid fairly and that they receive the same rights and protections as regular employees. We are not making this call here for the first time, but I hope that President von der Leyen will listen this time. Give young people more opportunities. But also give them a regular wage.

Mr President, Commissioner, Minister, we are calling in Europe for labour shortages. We seem to think it is normal for a European Commissioner to say that we need 1 million migrant workers. As if you can order migrant workers per kilo. Whole sectors in Europe rely on the exploitation of their workers. Workers, mostly migrant workers, are underpaid and exploited in, for example, the slaughterhouses, greenhouses and depots of supermarkets. Shouldn't we be honest and say that the real problem is that we have a surplus of bad work and a shortage of decent work? Then what do we need? Less flexible contracts, higher minimum wages, an end to bogus self-employment, strict control of temporary employment agencies and a greater capacity of the labour inspectorate. We all have to work on that.

Mr President, I’m standing here simply to do the job I do for every worker in the EU. I’m pleading for decent working conditions. The European Parliament is an employer and has, therefore, responsibilities as an employer to take care of all their staff, and when a MEP, for whatever reason, is leaving Parliament during the mandate, it cannot be so that the APA is out of a job in a matter of days. So my call is to find a structural solution for APAs when they suddenly lose their jobs once a MEP has left the Parliament during the mandate. And hopefully you can do this while consulting their workers’ representation on this issue.

Madam President, dear Commissioner, I think the holes in the EU's public procurement rules are too well known, because study after study shows that the voluntary nature of social public procurement is not really making enough of a difference. We still see this race to the bottom. Public contracts are most often awarded socially based on the cheapest offer, and too often to companies that violate labour rights. Secondly, the companies prioritise cost over quality of service and fair labour practices. And third, and in the end, it's the workers that suffer from the system because it leads to exploitation, underpayment and violations of their basic rights. The message of this debate today is we can no longer allow companies to lower their standards while maximising their profits at the expense of workers. Public spending must be conditional on social requirements, respect for collective agreements, for working conditions and for ILO Conventions. Finally, the Commissioner also mentioned the Minimum Wage Directive. We, in this directive, put the threshold of the minimum amount of people covered by collective agreements at 80%. How can we strengthen social, collective bargaining while, on the other hand, maintaining the existing public procurement rules, which limit the push for a higher coverage rate of collective bargaining? I think it's clear it's time for change.

Madam President, Commissioner, dear Dennis, when the doorbell rings, do you open the door if you know your house is a little bit of a mess? I must say, I would be hesitant. I think most people would try to stall having guests over or at least try quickly to cover the biggest mess in some kind of cupboard. I think the same is true for Member States: if they know there are cases of labour exploitation, they might not be keen to invite the newest European agency over, the ELA. At the moment, the ELA is only allowed to have inspections when they are invited, thereby limiting their powers, and I think it's essential that the Commission be giving the ELA a bigger mandate after evaluation later this year. But workers need more than that. Because if only all European employers would be holier than the Pope, then we didn't need this agency, but sadly they are not. Some have not only exploitation of European workers on their hands, they also didn't seem to have a problem with exploiting non-European workers. And then, as already mentioned, the example of Grafenhausen, where lorry drivers went on strike at a rest stop for weeks in a row because they have not been paid for months in a row and the ELA was not able to intervene. When an EU-based employer is not paying its workers or is treating them badly, this should be investigated and prosecuted by the ELA, no matter if the workers are Europeans or non-Europeans. The Belgians are keen to get to work with the evaluation, and I understand from the contribution of the Commission that the Commission will join their efforts to finally ensure fair mobility in our Union, and that would be great.

Mr President, Commissioner, State Secretary, young people have a harder and harder time starting their lives. They had to take on high debts to get a diploma. They have to do internship after internship, looking for a job. And those internships are usually unpaid. And the jobs they get are often part-time, for some time or very insecure. And when they finally want to leave their parents, they will not find a suitable home anywhere. We're abandoning an entire generation. A generation that grew up during the 2008 crisis and now has to build its life, during and after the coronavirus crisis. And for the first time in decades, it's uncertain whether children will get it better than their parents. We need to invest in our younger generations. Wages, starting with the minimum wage, must rise. There must be an end to precarious contracts and to that endless cycle of unpaid internships. And we just have to turn housing into a public service again. If we do not invest in our young people, if we do not ensure that they can make a good start, we will lose them forever. And with them the support for the European project.

Mr President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, for more than two years we have given the social partners every opportunity to negotiate the right to disconnect. Two weeks ago, employers ran away. They don't seem to be waiting for an agreement. You can also think: it is easy for them if their employees are on standby 24/7, with all the consequences for the employees – stress, depressive feelings, burnouts – just because people always have to be on. But everyone should have the right to say: ‘Not now’. Commission, do not miss this moment and come up with a new legislative proposal to give workers the right to "not now". We can't expect it from employers, but hopefully we can expect it from the EU. And then a message to President von der Leyen. Next year, you will organise a conference in Val Duchesse to strengthen European social dialogue. Use that moment. Call the employers on the mat. Do they want to participate in social dialogue? Or do they think they can get their way with a little lobbying?

Mr President, Madam Vice-President, the Netherlands is unfortunately no exception to the rest of Europe. Also in our country, parents with children up to 500 euros per month are too short. And of that we have to say: You can't do that any longer. Children who grow up in poverty feel the consequences throughout their lives. At school, on the job market and on their health. And for those missed opportunities, not only they, but we all pay the price. Every child who grows up in poverty is one too many. We have elections on Wednesday and this time the new government should not come up with empty promises, but with concrete measures. Increase the minimum wage and assistance for parents. Invest in childcare and school lunches for children. This is the only way to tackle child poverty.

Mr President, Mr First Vice-President, it is the last year of the von der Leyen Commission and today we are presenting the last work programme. As far as I am concerned, a number of important legislative proposals still need to be tabled before the end of the mandate. Let me begin by saying that I welcome the mention of the change to the European Works Council. That's important. But the promised bill to end unpaid internships is lacking. And that is disappointing for all those young people who had set their hopes on this bill. This brings me to a more general point. Next June, citizens will go to the polls and I really wonder why so many proposals are being put on the table to keep businesses out of the wind and there are hardly any proposals to address citizens' concerns. That seems strategically unwise to me and actually I find it a bit scandalous.

Mr President, Commissioner, State Secretary, house prices have skyrocketed in recent years and homelessness in Europe has almost doubled in the last decade. It is clear that market forces in the housing market have had terrible consequences. A house is not a means of speculation in the market, but a primary necessity of life. So it's time to take back control of that market. Accessible social housing is needed for many more people. The Dutch government often wrongly points to Brussels, but the Brussels rules do not stand in the way of more social housing. Look at Vienna, where, for example, half of the city lives in social housing. A stable life starts with a stable shelter. We cannot leave housing to the whims of the market. The Commission should encourage Member States to convert the available funds to make housing affordable again. Together we can.

Mr President, Commissioner, we have stressed this on several occasions: There is no such thing as safe exposure to asbestos. Every day, 250 Europeans die from asbestos-related cancer. Fortunately, this directive is a good step to get that number to zero. But we are not yet ready with this directive, because Europe is on the verge of a major renovation wave. More than 200 million buildings will have to be renovated in the next 30 years and many of them still contain asbestos. The Commission should therefore come forward as soon as possible with the promised new proposals for screening and registration of asbestos in buildings to ensure that all workers who need to make our buildings future-proof are also protected from asbestos. We don't want people to die at work or at work. It is therefore up to the Commission to move forward so that we can achieve the goals of an asbestos-free Europe and an asbestos-free world.

Mr President, more and more people are falling through the lower boundary. For example, people can pay their bills with difficulty, more and more people have to knock on the food bank or they get into trouble if their washing machine breaks down. Even if they work full-time. Therefore, Member States need to take the implementation of the Adequate Minimum Wage Directive seriously. All people have the right to a fair wage that they can make ends meet and that also takes inflation into account. But more is needed. Of course, there is also a directive on adequate minimum incomes. But when you have to spend up to half your income on a heated roof over your head, then you really have a problem. And that's not just a problem in big cities like Amsterdam or Utrecht, it's a problem everywhere. Basic needs such as housing should never be put under pressure. Hence my proposal to the Commission to come up with proposals to keep fixed costs affordable for people.

Madam President, dear Commissioner, for months, lorry drivers transporting our goods across Europe didn’t receive any pay for their work. Around 100 drivers are now collectively striking in a car park in Graefenhausen, Germany. Surely, as customers, we should be able to expect that people transporting our products are treated fairly. Yes, it can be inconvenient for customers that the clothes that they ordered, or the car parts they need are stuck in a lorry in a German car park. Some people argue that strikes disturb the internal market. Luckily the European Parliament takes a different view. Striking is a collective right. It doesn’t fall under the operation of the single market emergency instrument.

Mr President, wages are lagging behind, the quality of work is deteriorating and the middle class is shrinking. And you can't talk about the shrinkage of the middle class without wondering where those people are and why. And yet the liberals in this debate only want to talk about the middle class. Let's do that. The best recipe to protect the middle class is to give all workers a living wage. In the European law on minimum wages, we agreed that 80% of workers should be covered by a collective agreement, because that is the best recipe for a living wage. To ensure a living wage, you must ensure that more people are covered by the collective agreement and you must strengthen the position of trade unions in collective bargaining. My appeal to the Member States is therefore: speed up the implementation of the Minimum Wage Directive.

Madam President, dear Commissioner, dear State Secretary, I think it should be clear that no billionaire should pay lower taxes than a teacher, a nurse or a supermarket worker. But unfortunately, that is the reality today. People pay more taxes on labour than they do on capital, and that makes inequality grow and poverty increase. The system, I think we should say, is broken, because while the super rich get all the profits, wages of workers are lagging behind. Yes, we need a fair distribution of wealth, but that starts with higher wages. Not only should minimum wages go up, but all wages need to go up immediately. I think we should say ‘work should pay’. We need more decent jobs, we need higher wages and, of course, we need higher taxes on capital too.

Mr President, everyone has heard stories of students who do an unpaid traineeship under the heading of learning experience, but in certain cases have the same responsibilities as their colleagues in the workplace. The Dutch Labour Inspectorate recently imposed a fine on an airline for having fully scheduled 60 trainees for months in order to save costs. As a thank you, interns usually receive a book voucher or a bunch of flowers, and sometimes nothing at all. Traineeships are crucial for young people and help them grow so that they can take the first steps into the labour market later on. Unpaid internships counteract this growth. Not every student can afford an unpaid internship. As a result, students who can count on the support of their parents start with an advantage on the labour market. Europe has the task of reducing inequality of opportunity. Fair legislation is needed to ensure fair remuneration in order to give young people a better start on the labour market. I hope that the Commission will speed up this legislation so that it can be completed before the elections.