Teun van de Keuken sat in Eva Jinek’s talk show last night complaining that Albert Heijn does not compensate his staff enough for the high inflation, but how does he actually do it himself?
The empty shelves of Albert Heijn dominate the news. The supermarket chain is now offering 10 percent more wages to the striking staff, but the unions only want to continue negotiations if the deterioration in working conditions is over. Eva Jinek spoke about it with three guests in her talk show last night.
Eva punishes Teun
One of those guests was NPO star Teun van de Keuken. He thinks that Albert Heijn should come up with money to compensate for the high inflation for the staff. But what about the presenter himself?
Eva Jinek doesn’t exactly make it easy for Teun when she asks him point blank: “Do you pay your cleaner ten percent more to compensate for that inflation?”
Oops, Teun didn’t see that question coming.
‘Didn’t think about it’
Teun in a hurry: “I pay my cleaner much more than I should anyway.”
He looks very pleased with it. Eva: “Because you are an ethical person?”
Teun: “No, I don’t want to say that at all, but I think…”
Eva stern: “Have you also thought about: inflation is rising, I’m just going to pay more? Or are you saying: I already did that?”
Teun stammers: “I haven’t thought about it, but I will do that from now on. No, I think that’s a good… I just hadn’t thought about it, but I think that’s a good point.”
Hypocritical
On to the next Jinek guest: FNV negotiator Shefania Sewbaks.
Eva: “The strange thing is that right now, during this period of strikes, your own FNV employees are also on strike. They also want a wage increase that rises with inflation, just like with Albert Heijn. And FNV refuses that for its own employees and wants to set a ceiling of five percent. What should we think of that?”
That sounds hypocritical, Eva wants to say.
Uncomfortable
Shefania uneasy: “Yeah, the employees are revolting too, aren’t they? They are also on strike and that is their right. I totally get it.”
Eva: “I find it almost impossible to reconcile that you were created to stand up for employees (…) and that you say in your own organization: ‘No, five percent and no more than that.’ That you don’t have the inner inclination to set an example… You now have a very stoic face.”
Shefania: “I don’t get it either. Of course, FNV must also set an example, the employees agree and I also expect that things will turn out well.”
Teun: “This is just very stupid for your entire reputation.”