AOb welcomes new trade union PO in Actie
De AOb welcomes PO in Actie as a new union. The announcement of the plans in de Volkskrant comes as no surprise. "It is a logical step in the process that the club went through. So we warmly welcome Jan van de Ven and Thijs Roovers to the polder", said AObchairman Liesbeth Verheggen.
That PO in Actie organizes itself differently from the AOb, Verheggen thinks is no more than logical. "Otherwise they would have joined us. But we work with 120 people in primary education and there is a large group that is not yet reached by the existing unions. Hopefully PO in Actie will succeed. If the degree of organization is higher , we can adopt a tougher attitude at the collective bargaining table and towards politics in The Hague."
Sharp
Verheggen is not afraid of competition. "That keeps us sharp. And I think that many people in primary education see the added value of an association that conducts its own research, publishes a professional journal and can offer tailor-made legal assistance."
AObchair Liesbeth Verheggen: "We work with 120 people in primary education and there is a large group that is not yet reached by the existing unions. Hopefully PO in Actie will succeed."
"From AOb is a healthy club with roughly 85 members," Verheggen continues. "Since the end of last year, we've been growing like weeds, especially among younger colleagues. We are full of good ideas and are fighting towards the new cabinet. We can use all the help in that battle. Also from PO in Actie, with whom we have formed the PO front since March."
CLA table
The fact that the club will continue as a trade union and will report itself to the collective labor agreement as such, changes the AOb concerns little. Verheggen: "The agreement to meet on December 13 - a day after the strike - was already in the agenda of our negotiators. We are curious what plans they will come up with."
