‘Diversity and inclusion deserve attention’

‘With twenty members, we are a Works Council that contributes ideas, takes a constructively critical approach, and is committed to achieving results, both for the employees and in terms of the continuity of the company,’ Adri begins. ‘We usually manage to get involved and engage with the Board of Management and the Supervisory Board at a very early stage. Such as in relation to long-term financing.’ In Adri’s view, this was the predominant theme in 2023. ‘It did cause concern at times. At one point, I asked CEO Koen Bogers: what if the coalition government collapses? That was at the end of 2022. In February, we made framework arrangements with other grid managers. And then the government fell during the summer, fortunately with no consequences where financing was concerned. The participation agreement was also submitted to the Works Council for its opinion. Yes, there was a lot of consultation with the Works Council about the financing,’ says the Works Council chair.

With due care for Zeeland

‘DNWG also needed our attention in 2023,’ Adri continues. In operational terms, DNWG is not only responsible for gas and electricity but also for water, which is not the case in the rest of the Stedin area. ‘Because the water component does not fit in with Stedin’s strategy, it was decided to gradually dispose of this component,’ he explains. ‘To ensure this is done with due care, I stay in close contact with DNWG director Andries Schouten and attend his monthly kick-off.’

Attention for diversity

Last year, the Works Council also redetermined its three priorities. Two of these have their origin in Stedin’s diversity policy. Thus, the Works Council found that ‘diversity and inclusion’ had become too much of a catch-all term, and this theme has been renamed 'Stedin for everyone'. In addition, Stedin’s Works Council now talks of ‘professional competence’ rather than ‘craftsmanship’. Several times a year, the Works Council, Supervisory Board and Board of Management discuss issues from different perspectives during the tripartite consultations. The Works Council raised the topic of ‘Stedin for everyone’ in this context too, because ‘diversity and inclusion deserve our attention,’ says the Works Council chair.

Fitters’ Roadmap

‘An example of a specific achievement of the Works Council last year is the implementation of the Fitters’ Roadmap,’ Adri adds. Fitters in different value chains sometimes experience major differences in duties and job satisfaction. ‘This roadmap is meant to create greater uniformity and ensure that each value chain provides the same opportunities for development and job satisfaction.’

Commitment

Looking back, Adri is proud to see how the Works Council grew even more in the past year and was given room to develop further, partly because of the good position it has within Stedin. Perhaps this is why Adri is still so committed after almost a decade: ‘I have always thought that if I sign up for something, I need to be able to make a real contribution. That is how I felt back then and how I still feel now.’