Here we are, on the eve of a new year. A moment to reflect together on everything that has happened over the past year. And that is quite a lot. Both in the world around us and in our beautiful recreation sector. We faced developments that we couldn't do much about ourselves. First the tail end of corona, then the war in Ukraine began, followed by the energy crisis hitting us with high energy prices and a significant loss of purchasing power.
Many of these developments also impacted the sector. Due to corona, the Netherlands as a holiday destination was extremely popular over the past three years. The number of bookings was sky high, and you noticed that. A lot was asked of you, our recreation staff. And that in a time when we – like many other sectors – are struggling with major staff shortages and a tight labour market. Something we as a sector are very concerned about. Research shows that employees are leaving or want to leave our sector. And there is little intake in the training courses, even though people are proud of the work. But the hard work, high workload, and minimal employment conditions are really too much for many.
Together with HISWA-Recron and education, we have therefore started to put recreation back on the map. By talking to each other about: how can we jointly ensure that we prepare the sector for the future and improve its image. With enough skilled and enthusiastic employees who want to commit to the sector for a longer period. We will use the outcomes of the congress ‘Recreation back on the map’ to make further progress next year.
This year we were confronted with high energy prices and price increases, and consequently a decline in purchasing power. Even though recreation staff will receive a 2% increase from 1 January 2023, this pay rise and the government's compensation schemes are insufficient to offset the decline in purchasing power.
As a union representative of FNV Recreatie, I have worked hard recently to persuade employers' organisations to do something for the employees as a sector. But unfortunately, they are not responding. They expect inflation to fall in 2023, making compensation unnecessary. And if a gesture is to be made, it should come from individual employers. I find this really disappointing, a missed opportunity and bad for the image of our sector.
Then a look ahead to 2023. The expectation is that economic growth will slow down and that the number of visitors will decrease because people can spend less. We are already seeing this happening in the declining number of bookings. The growth of the corona period will level off. Hopefully, this means that employees will get a bit more breathing space and it will become more pleasant and enjoyable to work in the sector.
Around the summer of 2023, we will gather your input to use during the CLA negotiations. The Updates CLA runs until 31 December 2023, and your opinion on how we can make the sector more attractive from 2024 is extremely important!
And we will continue with the course set to put recreation back on the map through research, activities, and a follow-up congress.
Finally: I wish you all a good Christmas with your loved ones and a happy and healthy 2023. And for those who have to work: give it your all and make it a fun time with your colleagues!
Johan Bijlsma
Union representative FNV Recreatie