Ella Vogelaar (1949-2019): Union woman with a drive
Last Monday Ella Vogelaar passed away, chairman of the ABOP from 1988 to 1994. Together with Gerard Moll of the Netherlands Society of Teachers (NGL) she started talks about the merger of both organizations until 1997 de Algemene Onderwijsbond (AOb) would become.
Image: Studio André Ruigrok
"Ella had the guts to discuss a merger between two organizations that were so different in background and culture," said Liesbeth Verheggen, chairman of the AOb. “She raised the issue that the power of numbers was important if the education unions were to achieve something after the massive cuts in the XNUMXs. She sought out people to reformulate the strategy. She thus laid the foundation for a new course and a successful merger. ”
Shocked
De AOb is shocked by the sudden death of Vogelaar. Verheggen remembers her as someone who always stood up for the underprivileged. “That was her drive, she came from training work, where she worked with young people who needed extra opportunities. And that drive she has always held on, both during her chairmanship of the ABOP and when she made the switch to politics after her departure from the trade union movement. ” Ella Vogelaar was 69 years old.
Ella Vogelaar on the cover of Het Schoolblad during her farewell interview.
Impossible combination
At the tenth anniversary of the AOb Vogelaar looked back at the moment she and Moll of the NGL announced that the two unions were going to work closely together. "Everyone was blinking their eyes." At first glance, that seemed like an impossible combination. The ABOP, that red union of teachers, the union of the goats wool socks and the baggy sweaters. Within the NGL, the picture was determined by first-grade teachers in HAVO and VWO, preferably dressed in three-piece suits. Before middle school from twelve to fifteen years old, ABOP was against the NGL.
The reason for thinking about a merger was partly due to the 'winter of Deetman', the cuts in salaries and schools. Fierce action was taken against this. During that period NGL and ABOP often worked together. In addition, the ABOP had investigated whether the union was still able to provide members with sufficient legal assistance. These two elements meant that Moll and Vogelaar first started thinking about a merger with each other and then with their two organizations. The eventual merger in 1997 went virtually smoothly.
First female president
Vogelaar had long been a member of the ABOP, because of her training work, a natural place for her to help underprivileged young people on their way to a better future. She was also very active in the women's group of ABOP, to strengthen the position of women in education, but also in the union. In 1989 she became the first female president of ABOP. That was not without a struggle, because there was a lot of resistance against a female chairman in the male stronghold of the then ABOP. 'I see it as a challenge with my presidency to contribute to reducing that resistance,' she said when she took office.
Vogelaar never avoided fierce discussions. NGL and ABOP had to deal with an action group of young secondary school teachers, the Nahossers, because after the cutbacks they received a lower starting salary and a poorer career perspective than those who already worked in education. When the action group wanted to occupy the ABOP office, they were received with a smile and invited to continue the discussion. Further actions led to starting salaries being raised again later.
