Pioneer Johan Bijlsma bids farewell

‘As a member, you really have an influence on employment conditions’

From pioneering in an attic room and building a department to digital Teams meetings. After hundreds of conversations with employees and employers, countless CLA negotiations, and a series of internal changes, Johan Bijlsma will retire from De Horecabond after nearly 39 years on 1 June. His story.

Back to the beginning. You started in an attic room, with the goal of building a district. What did that initial period teach you about this work?
“What I learned is that it takes a lot of time to gain the trust of employers in hospitality. They consider the union troublesome, while I have always indicated: make use of us. As an employer, you also want your employees to be satisfied. I also experienced that there is little Insights among employees about how a CLA is established and why union membership is important. Some employees saw it as a betrayal to their employer if they were to join. That has improved somewhat.” 

“What I also learned is that people should not wait until there is a problem, but that they should request information from us. If you approach us before there is a conflict, the employment relationships remain good. However, I must say that sometimes the safety to discuss issues is lacking. On the other hand, employees should also be more resilient. We also invest time in that. We make it clear that it is nice to know that as an employee, the union has your back.”   

In nearly forty years, much has changed in your work and in society. What is the difference between then and now?
“When I started, we held consultation hours in different cities. Now we do a lot of advisory work digitally and go directly to the companies. We have become visible in a different way.”

“The organisation has changed. In the early days, we had regional departments. After the merger with the food union, there were five full-time union representatives, with layers below them. Now there is a very flat organisation. The last few years were the best years. We are now a close-knit group of employees who do it all together. We feel more like owners of what we do. The culture has changed, and a lot is invested in it. With culture days, where you get to know each other better. In the past, you sometimes felt alone and solved your problems yourself. You also shared much less.” 

What has remained exactly the same over all these years?
“That employers want to dismantle much of what we have built in terms of conditions. See the recreation sector, where investors are decisive due to takeovers. The profit goes to the companies, not to the employees. This also applies to how the government deals with social security. If you see what we have built in the Netherlands after the Second World War in terms of decent arrangements and facilities, and how that is now being undermined. From shortening the unemployment benefits to the state pension age: the bill is always laid at the feet of the hard-working Dutch person. That is why a union is important.”

What are you really proud of?
“Of the great CLAs I have been able to conclude, the improvements we realised in the recreation CLA. And in finding creative solutions for employment conditions, even in times when it became tense. I remember a devilish dilemma at Albron/Center Parcs, about twelve years ago. The company was struggling, and investments were under pressure. The choice was: a round of redundancies, where a group would end up on benefits and lose thirty percent, or everyone giving up three percent and a job guarantee. It became the latter. Whereby the employees got their salary back after a relatively short time.”

“I am also pleased that I concluded a CLA for the RVU twice, an early retirement scheme. Around corona and now in 2026. Now heavy work has been added to qualify. This means that for various people in hospitality, they can really stop working earlier.” 

What is your message to employees in hospitality?
“Realise that you can have more impact than you think. You are really important when it comes to better employment conditions. The more people are involved, the better your position as a negotiator is and the better agreements you can make with employers. Get information from us about employment conditions, make sure you are informed. And if you have an issue: don’t wait until it becomes a conflict, but contact us earlier.”

What does your future look like? What will you miss, what not?
“I will miss my colleagues, the members, and all the employees. When I get up, I always check my emails. I will miss that involvement. I am glad that I can mentally come to rest and no longer always have to think about how to solve things. But after a while, the itch will probably come again. What won’t I miss? I quite like driving, but that I spend a lot of time getting somewhere, I won’t miss that.”