{"id":99726,"date":"2019-06-07T14:00:36","date_gmt":"2019-06-07T12:00:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/?p=99726"},"modified":"2025-12-19T11:23:22","modified_gmt":"2025-12-19T10:23:22","slug":"students-are-the-folding-chairs-of-the-economy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/2019\/06\/07\/students-are-the-folding-chairs-of-the-economy\/","title":{"rendered":"‘Students are the folding chairs of the economy’"},"content":{"rendered":"

During a debate on Wednesday about the future of the job market for students, local councillors representing VVD, PvdA, Leefbaar Rotterdam and Denk clashed over statements such as \u2018flexible employment relationships are a good thing for the job market\u2019, but at times, they actually agreed with each other. The event was organised by study association Cedo Nulli and SOLVE Rotterdam.<\/p>\n

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Stephan van Baarle (DENK) en Tim Versnel (VVD).<\/span><\/p>

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Prior to the debate, organised by the Cedo Nulli study society and SOLVE Rotterdam, a survey was conducted among the attendees. The attendees were asked to indicate through a Likert scale on their phones to what extent they agreed with various statements, with 1 meaning \u2018completely disagree\u2019 and 5 meaning \u2018completely agree\u2019. The most popular statement was \u2018Flexible employment relationships are a good thing for the job market\u2019; this statement scored a 3.3. \u2018Young people will be the victims of the current pensions policy\u2019 got an average score of 3. The least popular statement was the one that \u2018The work floor should reflect society\u2019, which scored a mere 2.7.<\/p>\n

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Duygu Yildirim (PvdA) and Ehsan Jami (Leefbaar Rotterdam)<\/span><\/p>

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Flexible employment<\/h2>

Stephan van Baarle of Denk (who got a degree in sociology at EUR) was the first to criticise the flexible employment relationships that he feels are skyrocketing. \u201cYour generation is about to become folding chair of the economy \u2013 used only when there is no other solution and easily put back into storage.\u201d Duygu Yildirim of PvdA said, \u201cYet you can\u2019t deny that flexible working relationships constitute a problem that touches livelihoods at their core.\u201d She pointed out that 40 per cent of people who have jobs in Rotterdam live below the poverty line. Many of these employed people are on flexible employment contracts.<\/p>\n

Even though all four speakers agreed on the risks inherent in flexible employment relationships, Tim Versnel (VVD) and Ehsan Jami (Leefbaar Rotterdam) believed they also have advantages for young people, in the sense that companies are more likely to take a chance on them if they can offer them temporary contracts. Both politicians threw in some ideology, as well. \u201cI\u2019m in favour of less government. I don\u2019t want a government that will look after you like a dad if you\u2019re having a rough time,\u201d said Jami. Previously, Versnel had already said, \u201cDenk is almost Marxist in its views on economics.\u201d<\/p>\n

Moderator Christiaan Meinsma then asked whether it wasn\u2019t a student\u2019s own responsibility to choose a degree that will make him or her likely to find a job. Yildirim answered, \u201cIf we make it their responsibility, we\u2019ll lose the creative souls our society needs, as well.\u201d Jami held a different view. \u201cI am firmly against fun degrees. Leisure sciences? Let\u2019s get rid of them.\u201d<\/p>\n

Victims of the pensions policy <\/h2>

The politicians were more unanimous on the second statement: Young people will be the victims of the current pensions policy. Yildirim was the odd woman out, stating that all pension systems should be based in solidarity. She felt that phrases like \u2018be the victims of\u2019 would erode this solidarity. She was then asked by a student who is active in D66\u2019s youth wing whether it would be possible for young people to attend the meetings and have a say in things such as the new pensions agreement. The councillor, who represents PvdA, nodded her agreement.<\/p>\n

The other local politicians mostly disagreed on the approach to be taken to the untenable pensions policy. Jami proposed that the \u2018one-thou-sand-bill-ion\u2019 allocated to the energy transition, negotiated by \u2018climate gurus such as Versnel\u2019, be allocated to young people\u2019s pensions instead. Denk-affiliated councillor Van Baarle said he wishes to tackle the tax heaven that is the Netherlands by levying a proper tax on assets and multinational corporations. Versnel was quick to emphasise that the economy would be in smithereens if any of these plans were actually to be implemented. \u201cWe\u2019re on the right track. The Netherlands is steady as she goes.\u201d To which his colleague representing Leefbaar Rotterdam replied: \u201cIt\u2019s only steady for VVD voters living on fancy Amsterdam canals.\u201d<\/p>\n

Versnel pointed out that one cause of decreasing pension security that is not receiving a lot of attention is the fact that Dutch people are having fewer children, meaning there are too few young people to bear the financial burden. To which Van Baarle of Denk replied, \u201cSo maybe we shouldn\u2019t stick to our immigration policy quite so obsessively?\u201d<\/p>\n

After the debate, the students attending the debate once again took the survey to see whether the debate had changed their opinions. Only the statement that \u2018Young people will be the victims of the current pensions policy\u2019 received a different score: even more students (3.9) were in agreement after the debate.<\/p>\n

\u201cHave a great future!\u201d moderator Meinsma said in closing.<\/p>\n\n\t

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More about local politics<\/h2>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t