Chocolate as a bonus: more than half of MBO students do not feel valued | Money

The union conducted research among more than 1,700 MBO students. Chairman Piet Fortuin is shocked by the results. Almost one in three respondents say they have not had a salary increase for three years, and 40 percent of MBO students say that their boss does not invest in training or development.

Two thirds experience a high workload at work, 27 percent say they are on the verge of a burnout. In addition, more than a quarter of the MBO students surveyed have difficulty making ends meet and 36 percent find it increasingly difficult to pay their bills.

Fortune is concerned: ,,Our labor market runs on MBO students. These are the childcare workers, technical staff, people who build houses, repair our cars and install heat pumps. These people deserve much more appreciation.”

Without MBO students, the Netherlands cannot achieve its ambitions in areas such as housing and energy, he warns. “Employers, put your MBO students in the spotlight and pay them better. Especially now that inflation is so high, they should be paid decently and their wages should grow in line with inflation,” is his message.

For doctor’s assistant Lya Speksnijder-den Besten at the Sint Jansdal hospital and also a collective labor agreement negotiator, the lack of appreciation for MBO students working in hospitals is recognizable. Her employer does express his appreciation for the care workers, but she does not see that appreciation reflected in her wallet. An e-mail sent by her direct manager this week is illustrative: the staff receive chocolate for Sinterklaas, as a token of appreciation for their efforts. ,,That is very nice, but appreciation is more than chocolate. I would rather get a higher salary. For example, we now receive a mileage allowance of 0.08 cents, so I can’t fill up for that.”

In the 38 years that she has worked at the hospital, she has seen the workload increase considerably and has seen many colleagues leave for that reason. “It would help if the employer ensures that the workload is less high and that we are only used for the hours for which we have been hired. Now we regularly work extra hours”, she explains.

What she regrets is that in general MBO students often do the same executive work as someone with a higher vocational education, but still get paid less. And also that, despite a lot of practical experience, they are not eligible for certain positions. Speksnijder-den Besten: ,,It is impossible to explain.” Fortuin agrees. As far as the trade unionist is concerned, there must be a social revaluation of MBO students.

He sees this slowly happening from a political point of view. For example, he points out that the government wants to allocate billions to train more MBO students. He also thinks society could use a little more appreciation. “Many parents still hope that their child will go to secondary school and later get an office job, while the practically educated have the best job opportunities. Without senior secondary vocational education students, we will get stuck as a society. Then no more houses will be built and we will soon have no hands on the bed.”