KRALENDIJK- The ABVO has won a lawsuit against the Government Mediator, in which the Court invalidates the results of the referendum that took place on July 4th among the staff of the telecom provider TELBO. The referendum was convincingly won by the AFBW.

Up until the time of the referendum, the ABVO represented the staff. AFBW initiated the referendum and also won it convincingly, with all employees voting in favour of AFBW on July 4th, except for one vote. On the other hand, the ABVO received only one vote.

Nevertheless, the ABVO did not accept the results of the referendum. They argued, successfully, that the Mediator of the Lands had not adhered to the legal timeframe that should be granted to unions to prepare for a referendum. The ABVO contended that this deprived them of time to mobilize their members, resulting in an unfavourable outcome.

Short-lived?

Although the ABVO now receives validation from the court, it remains questionable whether the victory will turn out to be a short lived one. Over the past months, the ABVO has already been ousted by several employers in favour of the AFBW.

Even if the referendum must be held again, it is highly doubtful whether the ABVO will succeed in persuading the majority of employees to choose ABVO over AFBW.