“The way things are going now, it’s no longer fun,” says Esther Westerbeek, pharmacy assistant at Aerdenhout Pharmacy. “From the moment the strike was announced, we have been working our butts off.”
And while it is not yet certain whether the strike by pharmacy technicians will continue next week. This will become clear on Friday, when the judge will rule in the summary proceedings that employers have filed against the unions. In the meantime, people who need medication, out of fear of a strike, take their medicines on time as a precaution. As a result, there will be a short queue at the medicine machine next to the entrance to the pharmacy in Heemstede this afternoon.
“Luckily I placed my order just in time,” says a woman waiting for her turn. A man who hears his packaged medicines rolling out of the vending machine is also visibly relieved.
Protest
Inside, despite the crowds, Esther Westerbeek tries to stay informed about the summary proceedings in Utrecht. Her colleagues take part in a protest meeting there. They demand a six percent salary increase, retroactive from July 1, and more attention to the workload and aggression of clients. “We are fighting for a good cause,” says Esther.
‘Nice and busy’
At Apotheek Klinkhamer on Koninginneweg in Haarlem it is not as busy as in Heemstede, but there too it is clearly noticeable that patients are taking their precautions. One of the pharmacy assistants describes the crowd as ‘nice and busy’. It is no different at Loomeijer Pharmacy on the Zijlweg. The assistant is too busy to answer a question, and the pharmacist himself is busy discussing the strike issue with a colleague.