After abuses at sheltered workshop, the municipality of Den Bosch is taking measures

Undesirable behavior is dealt with more harshly and managers of Weener XL must do their job better. The municipality of Den Bosch wants to improve working conditions at the sheltered workshop. Employees have long complained about intimidation, verbal abuse, culture of fear and humiliation in the workplace. The management of the Weener XL group may remain seated.

The municipality of Den Bosch is taking over the advice of former mayor of Amsterdam Job Cohen and FNV director Marco Schipper who have analyzed an independent investigation. With the improvements and measures, the Commission is confident that peace will return to Weener XL.

Managers of the Weener XL group in Den Bosch receive courses to:

  • better manage staff
  • to communicate better
  • identify unwanted behavior and deal with it more vigorously

Additional management staff will also be added. Part of the problem is also the great diversity and complexity of the groups of employees. As a result, people ‘literally and figuratively’ do not speak each other’s language. This can lead to problems and a bad working atmosphere.

The Bossche alderman Marianne van der Sloot adopts all the conclusions of the investigation. “What matters to me is that we help as many people as possible find work in a good and safe way. We need people to lead that. I have confidence in that.”

“We must do even more to provide a safe workplace for all employees.”

Director Sjoerd van het Erve acknowledges, just like the alderman, that things have not always gone well in his company. He wants to make an effort to better manage the department in question: “Especially the research in the Clean Space department shows that we have to do even more to offer all employees a safe place.”

Van der Sloot is allocating an extra 240,000 euros per year to restore peace to sheltered employment. For extra management staff and for an external party who has to help get things back on track. Van der Sloot maintains confidence in the director of Weener XL. “We have had good discussions with the management, we have laid down a clear assignment and they will also carry it out.”

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