Headlines March
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There has never been a strike at this factory, but 'now the limit is full'
For the first time in its 125-year history, employees of the Royal Talens paint factory in Apeldoorn are on strike. Employees stop work for at least 24 hours because they want more pay and want to participate in discussions about the pension scheme.
The strike at the company founded in 1899 started at 7:30 am on Wednesday morning. Margreet Pasman, director of FNV Process Industry: "During corona times, the company made large profits and gave nothing back to the staff. Because wages have not risen in line with the prices in the stores in those years, employees are finding it increasingly difficult to make ends meet. It is time that this will be corrected."
'The employer does not respond'
"The collective labor agreement negotiations have reached a standstill. The employer is not responding. That leaves the means of striking. The measure is really full," says Pasman. "The employees are lagging behind and are entitled to more wages. People are also tired of the way communication is going on within the organization. It is disrespectful how they are treated. The employees do not feel appreciated."
Trade union FNV demands a 10.7 percent wage increase and an additional 100 euros gross per month, for a collective labor agreement for a period of one year. The union also wants wages to rise in line with inflation from now on. Trade union CNV wants a pay increase of 416.42 euros per month. The unions also believe that agreements about pensions should be made at the negotiating table. "If the employer makes a good offer, we will come back to the table," the FNV director emphasizes.
Management finds the strike incomprehensible
"We find the strike a shame, incomprehensible in the sense of the offer we made. An additional 225 euros gross as of December last year and an additional 3 percent as of October 1, for a period of 15 months. That depends on the pay scale 10 to 12 percent more," a Talens spokesperson responds. "We do not understand why the wage demands are so absurdly high. We believe that we have made a fair offer. We are offering the maximum that we as a company can bear." "We are a small company with 218 employees, of which 60 to 70 came from the factory and distribution center," the spokesperson said. "The trees don't grow to the sky and not at Talens either. It is not true that a lot of profit is made. We do not think it is the employers' job to compensate when it comes to inflation, not completely in any case."
'Staff can already sit at the pension table'
"The strikers also want a seat at the pension table. But this is already possible, since 1991 they have been able to participate in discussions with the Works Council, the unions and an external advisor. But they want the right of veto, we are against that. We want to prevent the unions from having to do this. take the walk," said the Talens spokesperson. FNV director Pasman points out that the company's offer is for a period of 15 months, while the FNV's demand is for a period of 12 months. According to her, Talens' offer is therefore clearly lower than the union's demand.
Source: https://www.gld.nl/nieuws/8114625/nog-nooit-werd-er-bij-deze-fabriek-gestaakt-maar-nu-is-de-maat-vol
Signs at bus stops will not be replaced for the time being due to a dispute with the supplier
Arguments with the supplier, a lack of trust and late delivery of materials. These are all factors that ensure that there will be no new digital signs at bus stops in Flevoland, Gelderland and Overijssel for the time being. In Flevoland, most signs are still made of paper. There is no current departure time, delay or cancellation shown. There are already a number of digital signs in Gelderland and Overijssel, but they are old and need to be replaced. The province of Flevoland, together with Gelderland and Overijssel, entered into a contract with the company Surtronic Group BV to supply digital signs.
Fines
The signs were actually supposed to be installed in May 2022, but that was not possible. Due to, among other things, corona and a delayed delivery of the materials, the company was given more time for installation. The deadline was moved to December 23, 2022. But that was also not met. Because the company did not adhere to the agreements in the contract, Surtronic had to pay fines.
Contract terminated
On July 13 last year, the provinces informed Surtronic that they would terminate the contract. The provinces and Surtronic subsequently discussed this with each other several times. It was not possible to make agreements and therefore the contract was terminated on December 14. The provinces are not confident that Surtronic can complete the project and are holding the company liable for damages and fines. The project is now completely at a standstill.
What does this mean for travelers?
Because there are no new digital information boards yet, the province believes that there may be no current travel information for travelers at the bus stops. The provinces are currently working on a temporary solution to ensure that the digital information boards continue to show travel information. Otherwise, travelers can plan their trip via the RRReis website or via 9292.
Source: https://www.omroepflevoland.nl/nieuws/371616/borden-bij-bushaltes-worden-voorlopig-niet-vervangen-door-ruzie-met-leverancier
Albert Heijn stops Blue Band Roombeter campaign after commotion
Albert Heijn is immediately canceling the campaign for Blue Band Roombeter. A spokesperson for the supermarket chain confirmed this to Hart van Nederland after reporting from Distrifood.nl . Albert Heijn will remove all meter-sized promotional stickers from the refrigeration doors. There was a commotion on social media because of the message that eating real butter would be 'herd behavior'.
Commotion
Blue Band's plant-based butter recently won the Golden Wind Egg for the 'most misleading food product' , but there is now a commotion again because of the campaign in Albert Heijn. Since Monday, the refrigerated shelves have been plastered with slogans such as 'Skip the cow' and 'Still prefer cow butter? Typical herd behavior'. That offended some consumers: And then Albert Heijn decides to stop the advertising campaign. "It is true that we are going to remove the promotion. The wording is somewhat unfortunate," the spokesperson told Hart van Nederland .
Positive and negative reactions
Blue Band itself also responded to the fuss: "The Blue Band campaign aims to ensure that consumers make well-considered choices regarding the products they buy. To be clear: without farmers we would not be able to make our plant-based products," says a spokesperson. to Heart of the Netherlands . “The campaign is receiving both positive and negative responses.” "We are disappointed that a Blue Band statement in the store led to a commotion, and that is why action has been taken together with Albert Heijn," the brand said.
Source: https://www.hartvannederland.nl/nieuws/albert-heijn-stopt-met-blue-band-roombeter-actie-na-ophef
Holiday park Hooghalen evacuated due to released chlorine gas
A holiday park in Hooghalen in Drenthe has been evacuated due to released chlorine gas. The leak occurred this morning in a technical room near the swimming pool of the Het Grote Zand holiday park. "In this room, products are added to the swimming pool water to keep it clean," says a spokesperson for the safety region. When an employee of the holiday park was doing this, the chemicals sulfuric acid and sodium hypochlorite became mixed. The employee was injured as a result and gas was released. According to the spokesperson, the substances sulfuric acid and sodium hypochlorite are in a vessel in which the pressure is increasing. To prevent the barrel from exploding, the fire brigade wants to unscrew the lid to let the gas out.
Evacuate first
Before that could happen, the residents of forty houses in the park had to be evacuated. Many residents went to a community center in Hooghalen. The municipality of Midden-Drenthe, where the park is located, is looking at where the holiday park residents can be accommodated for a little longer.
Now that the houses have been cleared, the fire brigade can enter the technical room to release the gas from the barrel. According to the spokesperson for the safety region, it can take half an hour to 45 minutes until "the gas has reacted." It is not yet clear when residents can return to the houses. The fire brigade must first indicate that it is safe.
Source: https://nos.nl/artikel/2511535-ontruiming-vakantiepark-hooghalen-vanwege-vrijgekomen-chloorgas, 1 persoon gewond
Leakage at NAM tank park in Farmsum: water containing toxic substances ended up in a canal
There was a leak late on Sunday evening at the NAM tank park in Farmsum. Several hundred cubic meters of injection water were released. The liquid ended up in a canal in Farmsum, close to homes. Oil screens have now been placed in the water to prevent the liquid from spreading.
The liquid ended up in, among other things, the drainage canal at the Oosterveldweg in Farmsum. Oil stains can be seen in the water.
'Strange air'
The leak was discovered on Sunday evening around 11:00 PM. "Colleagues who cycled by on their way to their night shift reported a strange smell to security," said a spokesperson for the chemical park in Farmsum. 'Security then went to investigate and called in the company fire brigade.'
The company fire brigade saw that injection water was leaking. The leak was so small that, according to the chemical park fire brigade, it had no consequences for the surrounding area. The oil screens were placed in consultation with the Hunze and Aa's water board.
What is injection water?
Injection water is released during the extraction of natural gas. It contains salts, metals and traces of natural gas condensate. The latter contains benzene, a toxic substance. At the tank park in Farmsum, the injection water from different locations comes together and is transported via a pipeline to Borgsweer, where it is injected again into the Groningen field.
Things went wrong before in 2018
A few years ago something went wrong at the tank park in Farmsum. In 2018, 30,000 liters of toxic natural gas condensate leaked into the canal. Local residents suffered from headaches, nausea and dizziness. NAM has been fined 100,000 euros for this. The tank farm also came under increased supervision by the State Supervision of Mines (SodM). Two years (and seven inspections) later, the stricter supervision was lifted again.
SSM starts investigation
The regulator has started an investigation into the leak at NAM. Inspectors will be at the site on Monday to check whether the leakage has stopped, and to see whether NAM is taking the correct measures to minimize and repair damage to the environment. Under the supervision of the SodM, NAM has started an investigation into the cause of the leak. The gas company announces that the injection water is being removed.
Source: https://www.rtvnoord.nl/nieuws/1136130/lekkage-bij-tankenpark-nam-in-farmsum-water-met-giftige-stof-in-kanaal-terechtgekomen
NVWA is conducting a criminal investigation into cargo bike manufacturer Babboe
The Dutch Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority (NVWA) has started a criminal investigation into cargo bike manufacturer Babboe. Several cargo bike models have proven to be unsafe and the regulator says it has indications that the manufacturer has withheld relevant matters from inspectors.
The NVWA confirmed this after a report from RTL Nieuws . Former Babboe employees told the news program how they hid broken frames in vans prior to an NVWA inspection. RTL also has a document with answers that employees had to give to customer questions. For example, it states that during normal use of the bicycle "it is in principle not possible for your frame to break". If a customer asked whether cracks or fractures occurred often, employees had to explain that the bicycle was often overloaded.
'They keep driving it'
According to former employees, a manager also mainly blamed the customer. A mechanic who brought up the broken frames was told that people are poorly maintaining their bicycles. "Look at this bicycle (...): it rusts and is never cleaned. Those people who keep riding it," can be heard in an audio recording in the possession of RTL News. The NVWA thinks it is bad. "The company has undermined our supervision and thus taken major risks with people's safety," a spokesperson said. The criminal investigation is being conducted by the Intelligence and Investigation Service (IOD) of the NVWA and the Public Prosecution Service and started a few weeks ago.
Sales ban and recall
In February, Babboe was ordered by the NVWA to temporarily stop selling its cargo bikes, because research showed that hundreds of frames have broken in recent years. Babboe allegedly did not properly investigate the causes and took no measures. The recall that the company started a month ago is still ongoing. Babboe recalled four models and owners of these cargo bikes could register online. This week, a spokesperson for the manufacturer said that it is not yet clear how many bicycle owners have registered and how many bicycles need to be collected. Babboe promised to provide clarity "around Easter".
Source: https://nos.nl/artikel/2514585-nvwa-doet-strafrechtelijk-onderzoek-naar-bakfietsfabrikant-babboe
Walnuts removed from shelves because label does not warn that they contain walnuts :) :) :)
Supermarket chain Dirk has been forced to remove walnuts from the shelves due to a very noticeable lack of allergen information. The packaging did not state that the product contains walnuts. A reasonable person with a nut allergy can probably think for themselves that it is not convenient to purchase a box of walnuts, but the supermarket chain decided to play it safe and removed the nuts from the shelves.
The Dutch Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority takes the missing allergen information very seriously, as can be seen from the safety warning on X. “Dirk warns against 1Bite Peeled walnuts. After checking, it turned out that the walnut allergen is not listed on the packaging. Do not eat the nuts if you have an allergy to walnuts.”
Source: https://wnl.tv/2024/03/07/walnoten-uit-schappen-gehaald-omdat-etiket-niet-waarschuwt-dat-er-walnoten-in-zitten/
For the first time in its 125-year history, employees of the Royal Talens paint factory in Apeldoorn are on strike. Employees stop work for at least 24 hours because they want more pay and want to participate in discussions about the pension scheme.
The strike at the company founded in 1899 started at 7:30 am on Wednesday morning. Margreet Pasman, director of FNV Process Industry: "During corona times, the company made large profits and gave nothing back to the staff. Because wages have not risen in line with the prices in the stores in those years, employees are finding it increasingly difficult to make ends meet. It is time that this will be corrected."
'The employer does not respond'
"The collective labor agreement negotiations have reached a standstill. The employer is not responding. That leaves the means of striking. The measure is really full," says Pasman. "The employees are lagging behind and are entitled to more wages. People are also tired of the way communication is going on within the organization. It is disrespectful how they are treated. The employees do not feel appreciated."
Trade union FNV demands a 10.7 percent wage increase and an additional 100 euros gross per month, for a collective labor agreement for a period of one year. The union also wants wages to rise in line with inflation from now on. Trade union CNV wants a pay increase of 416.42 euros per month. The unions also believe that agreements about pensions should be made at the negotiating table. "If the employer makes a good offer, we will come back to the table," the FNV director emphasizes.
Management finds the strike incomprehensible
"We find the strike a shame, incomprehensible in the sense of the offer we made. An additional 225 euros gross as of December last year and an additional 3 percent as of October 1, for a period of 15 months. That depends on the pay scale 10 to 12 percent more," a Talens spokesperson responds. "We do not understand why the wage demands are so absurdly high. We believe that we have made a fair offer. We are offering the maximum that we as a company can bear." "We are a small company with 218 employees, of which 60 to 70 came from the factory and distribution center," the spokesperson said. "The trees don't grow to the sky and not at Talens either. It is not true that a lot of profit is made. We do not think it is the employers' job to compensate when it comes to inflation, not completely in any case."
'Staff can already sit at the pension table'
"The strikers also want a seat at the pension table. But this is already possible, since 1991 they have been able to participate in discussions with the Works Council, the unions and an external advisor. But they want the right of veto, we are against that. We want to prevent the unions from having to do this. take the walk," said the Talens spokesperson. FNV director Pasman points out that the company's offer is for a period of 15 months, while the FNV's demand is for a period of 12 months. According to her, Talens' offer is therefore clearly lower than the union's demand.
Source: https://www.gld.nl/nieuws/8114625/nog-nooit-werd-er-bij-deze-fabriek-gestaakt-maar-nu-is-de-maat-vol
Signs at bus stops will not be replaced for the time being due to a dispute with the supplier
Arguments with the supplier, a lack of trust and late delivery of materials. These are all factors that ensure that there will be no new digital signs at bus stops in Flevoland, Gelderland and Overijssel for the time being. In Flevoland, most signs are still made of paper. There is no current departure time, delay or cancellation shown. There are already a number of digital signs in Gelderland and Overijssel, but they are old and need to be replaced. The province of Flevoland, together with Gelderland and Overijssel, entered into a contract with the company Surtronic Group BV to supply digital signs.
Fines
The signs were actually supposed to be installed in May 2022, but that was not possible. Due to, among other things, corona and a delayed delivery of the materials, the company was given more time for installation. The deadline was moved to December 23, 2022. But that was also not met. Because the company did not adhere to the agreements in the contract, Surtronic had to pay fines.
Contract terminated
On July 13 last year, the provinces informed Surtronic that they would terminate the contract. The provinces and Surtronic subsequently discussed this with each other several times. It was not possible to make agreements and therefore the contract was terminated on December 14. The provinces are not confident that Surtronic can complete the project and are holding the company liable for damages and fines. The project is now completely at a standstill.
What does this mean for travelers?
Because there are no new digital information boards yet, the province believes that there may be no current travel information for travelers at the bus stops. The provinces are currently working on a temporary solution to ensure that the digital information boards continue to show travel information. Otherwise, travelers can plan their trip via the RRReis website or via 9292.
Source: https://www.omroepflevoland.nl/nieuws/371616/borden-bij-bushaltes-worden-voorlopig-niet-vervangen-door-ruzie-met-leverancier
Albert Heijn stops Blue Band Roombeter campaign after commotion
Albert Heijn is immediately canceling the campaign for Blue Band Roombeter. A spokesperson for the supermarket chain confirmed this to Hart van Nederland after reporting from Distrifood.nl . Albert Heijn will remove all meter-sized promotional stickers from the refrigeration doors. There was a commotion on social media because of the message that eating real butter would be 'herd behavior'.
Commotion
Blue Band's plant-based butter recently won the Golden Wind Egg for the 'most misleading food product' , but there is now a commotion again because of the campaign in Albert Heijn. Since Monday, the refrigerated shelves have been plastered with slogans such as 'Skip the cow' and 'Still prefer cow butter? Typical herd behavior'. That offended some consumers: And then Albert Heijn decides to stop the advertising campaign. "It is true that we are going to remove the promotion. The wording is somewhat unfortunate," the spokesperson told Hart van Nederland .
Positive and negative reactions
Blue Band itself also responded to the fuss: "The Blue Band campaign aims to ensure that consumers make well-considered choices regarding the products they buy. To be clear: without farmers we would not be able to make our plant-based products," says a spokesperson. to Heart of the Netherlands . “The campaign is receiving both positive and negative responses.” "We are disappointed that a Blue Band statement in the store led to a commotion, and that is why action has been taken together with Albert Heijn," the brand said.
Source: https://www.hartvannederland.nl/nieuws/albert-heijn-stopt-met-blue-band-roombeter-actie-na-ophef
Holiday park Hooghalen evacuated due to released chlorine gas
A holiday park in Hooghalen in Drenthe has been evacuated due to released chlorine gas. The leak occurred this morning in a technical room near the swimming pool of the Het Grote Zand holiday park. "In this room, products are added to the swimming pool water to keep it clean," says a spokesperson for the safety region. When an employee of the holiday park was doing this, the chemicals sulfuric acid and sodium hypochlorite became mixed. The employee was injured as a result and gas was released. According to the spokesperson, the substances sulfuric acid and sodium hypochlorite are in a vessel in which the pressure is increasing. To prevent the barrel from exploding, the fire brigade wants to unscrew the lid to let the gas out.
Evacuate first
Before that could happen, the residents of forty houses in the park had to be evacuated. Many residents went to a community center in Hooghalen. The municipality of Midden-Drenthe, where the park is located, is looking at where the holiday park residents can be accommodated for a little longer.
Now that the houses have been cleared, the fire brigade can enter the technical room to release the gas from the barrel. According to the spokesperson for the safety region, it can take half an hour to 45 minutes until "the gas has reacted." It is not yet clear when residents can return to the houses. The fire brigade must first indicate that it is safe.
Source: https://nos.nl/artikel/2511535-ontruiming-vakantiepark-hooghalen-vanwege-vrijgekomen-chloorgas, 1 persoon gewond
Leakage at NAM tank park in Farmsum: water containing toxic substances ended up in a canal
There was a leak late on Sunday evening at the NAM tank park in Farmsum. Several hundred cubic meters of injection water were released. The liquid ended up in a canal in Farmsum, close to homes. Oil screens have now been placed in the water to prevent the liquid from spreading.
The liquid ended up in, among other things, the drainage canal at the Oosterveldweg in Farmsum. Oil stains can be seen in the water.
'Strange air'
The leak was discovered on Sunday evening around 11:00 PM. "Colleagues who cycled by on their way to their night shift reported a strange smell to security," said a spokesperson for the chemical park in Farmsum. 'Security then went to investigate and called in the company fire brigade.'
The company fire brigade saw that injection water was leaking. The leak was so small that, according to the chemical park fire brigade, it had no consequences for the surrounding area. The oil screens were placed in consultation with the Hunze and Aa's water board.
What is injection water?
Injection water is released during the extraction of natural gas. It contains salts, metals and traces of natural gas condensate. The latter contains benzene, a toxic substance. At the tank park in Farmsum, the injection water from different locations comes together and is transported via a pipeline to Borgsweer, where it is injected again into the Groningen field.
Things went wrong before in 2018
A few years ago something went wrong at the tank park in Farmsum. In 2018, 30,000 liters of toxic natural gas condensate leaked into the canal. Local residents suffered from headaches, nausea and dizziness. NAM has been fined 100,000 euros for this. The tank farm also came under increased supervision by the State Supervision of Mines (SodM). Two years (and seven inspections) later, the stricter supervision was lifted again.
SSM starts investigation
The regulator has started an investigation into the leak at NAM. Inspectors will be at the site on Monday to check whether the leakage has stopped, and to see whether NAM is taking the correct measures to minimize and repair damage to the environment. Under the supervision of the SodM, NAM has started an investigation into the cause of the leak. The gas company announces that the injection water is being removed.
Source: https://www.rtvnoord.nl/nieuws/1136130/lekkage-bij-tankenpark-nam-in-farmsum-water-met-giftige-stof-in-kanaal-terechtgekomen
NVWA is conducting a criminal investigation into cargo bike manufacturer Babboe
The Dutch Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority (NVWA) has started a criminal investigation into cargo bike manufacturer Babboe. Several cargo bike models have proven to be unsafe and the regulator says it has indications that the manufacturer has withheld relevant matters from inspectors.
The NVWA confirmed this after a report from RTL Nieuws . Former Babboe employees told the news program how they hid broken frames in vans prior to an NVWA inspection. RTL also has a document with answers that employees had to give to customer questions. For example, it states that during normal use of the bicycle "it is in principle not possible for your frame to break". If a customer asked whether cracks or fractures occurred often, employees had to explain that the bicycle was often overloaded.
'They keep driving it'
According to former employees, a manager also mainly blamed the customer. A mechanic who brought up the broken frames was told that people are poorly maintaining their bicycles. "Look at this bicycle (...): it rusts and is never cleaned. Those people who keep riding it," can be heard in an audio recording in the possession of RTL News. The NVWA thinks it is bad. "The company has undermined our supervision and thus taken major risks with people's safety," a spokesperson said. The criminal investigation is being conducted by the Intelligence and Investigation Service (IOD) of the NVWA and the Public Prosecution Service and started a few weeks ago.
Sales ban and recall
In February, Babboe was ordered by the NVWA to temporarily stop selling its cargo bikes, because research showed that hundreds of frames have broken in recent years. Babboe allegedly did not properly investigate the causes and took no measures. The recall that the company started a month ago is still ongoing. Babboe recalled four models and owners of these cargo bikes could register online. This week, a spokesperson for the manufacturer said that it is not yet clear how many bicycle owners have registered and how many bicycles need to be collected. Babboe promised to provide clarity "around Easter".
Source: https://nos.nl/artikel/2514585-nvwa-doet-strafrechtelijk-onderzoek-naar-bakfietsfabrikant-babboe
Walnuts removed from shelves because label does not warn that they contain walnuts :) :) :)
Supermarket chain Dirk has been forced to remove walnuts from the shelves due to a very noticeable lack of allergen information. The packaging did not state that the product contains walnuts. A reasonable person with a nut allergy can probably think for themselves that it is not convenient to purchase a box of walnuts, but the supermarket chain decided to play it safe and removed the nuts from the shelves.
The Dutch Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority takes the missing allergen information very seriously, as can be seen from the safety warning on X. “Dirk warns against 1Bite Peeled walnuts. After checking, it turned out that the walnut allergen is not listed on the packaging. Do not eat the nuts if you have an allergy to walnuts.”
Source: https://wnl.tv/2024/03/07/walnoten-uit-schappen-gehaald-omdat-etiket-niet-waarschuwt-dat-er-walnoten-in-zitten/
Translated from Dutch to English with Deeple Translate