Marlotte Ferouge (36) has been a 'trainee union representative' at FNV Horecabond since 1 October. Together with union representative Edwin Vlek, she will soon be conducting negotiations on behalf of FNV hospitality as the second negotiator with the employers' organisation KHN about a new hospitality CLA effective from 1 January 2024.
In this blog, Marlotte introduces herself.
Standing up for the rights of 'citizens' and employees is very important and interesting to me. And this is reflected in my career. After starting as a legal advisor at the Legal Aid Office, I entered the world of unions. At FNV Mooi (the largest union in personal care), I worked on individual issues, but I discovered that my heart lies more with matters for larger groups of employees. So when FNV Horecabond was looking for a legal advisor for collective matters eight years ago, I seized that opportunity with both hands. Not only advocating from behind a desk but also getting onto the work floor!
In recent years, I have legally advised/assisted the union representatives in the hospitality, recreation, and catering sectors in CLA processes and in cases such as bankruptcies, takeovers, and reorganisations of companies. A recent success we achieved was the case against Artis, where we managed to have unpaid CLA salary increases paid retroactively for a large group of employees. Some employees were owed as much as 20,000 euros. Additionally, their Updates wages have been increased by 14.7%.
I love the hospitality industry, enjoy visiting it, and know many people in my environment who work in this beautiful sector. I have seen up close the direct consequences of the workload, long days, and low wages within the hospitality industry. My husband worked as a pastry chef in a hotel and left the sector years ago for those reasons. I have a tremendous drive to improve the working conditions in the hospitality industry. The employees deserve it; without them, there is no hospitality! And soon, I will be in a position to contribute directly to that.
I am really looking forward to conducting the CLA negotiations for the hospitality industry together with my colleague Edwin Vlek. We complement each other very well. Edwin has a lot of experience as a union representative, comes from the hospitality industry himself, knows what he's talking about, and has an extensive network. And I know 'everything' about employment conditions, the legal issues in the CLA, and the upcoming changes in laws and regulations that we need to consider in the new hospitality CLA. It is also great that an active member of ours is part of the negotiation delegation, so hospitality employees truly have a voice at the table.
In recent months, we have asked you via a survey which points we should bring up during the CLA negotiations according to you. 'A significant salary increase' is at the top of the list for both members and non-members. I expected nothing less, as the hospitality industry lags significantly behind other sectors in terms of wages, causing the purchasing power of hospitality employees to continue to decline. Additionally, you indicate that work and private life need to be better balanced. The return of an allowance scheme is also frequently mentioned.
The survey runs until mid-October, so be sure to fill it in! Your input is needed. Together with our CLA committee, we will then review the survey results and determine our position at the negotiation table.
I have a warm heart for all hospitality pros and will unconditionally commit myself in the coming months to significantly improve the employment conditions in the hospitality industry. So that the sector becomes attractive again to work in (and stay in)!
Kind regards,
Marlotte Ferouge