"Good afternoon, Marianne de Winter." "Good afternoon, this is Nia Palli, chief protocol of the Prime Minister." "Good afternoon." "Question: the Prime Minister would like to visit your business; on Thursday, June 2nd at 13:20 to be precise, is this possible?" "Of course, we’ll have the coffee ready." "Great, see you then." "Until then."
And as scheduled, he appeared on the doorstep on June 2nd at 13:20. He in fact came for no special reason other that wanting to be informed about the ups and downs of the logistics industry - and that of ornamentals in particular.
The Prime Minister likes to do this more often, preferably a couple of times a month. He likes to be informed and - as was evident during the entire visit - he enjoys taking a peek behind the scenes. During the visit to De Winter he let management update him on the company and the challenges it faces.
More press was obviously present (interviewed here by Omroep West - click here for photos)
Of course, the choice for De Winter wasn’t completely unfounded. The company won the TLN Entrepreneur Award last year and the family business, run by brother and sister, has made its mark in the industry. The company is also continuously innovating, for example with the Greenport Logistics project, hereby seeking cooperation with 9 other carriers. Trade is becoming more intricate and by putting our heads together we can better confront such challenges. Or, as Mark Rutte put it: "The cake is bigger if you work together and De Winter has understood this perfectly."
A special assignment today: one moment you’re transporting carts with plants, the other you’re taking the Prime Minister to his next appointment ...
Another point of concern are the WGA changes, the law that regulates the obligations of the employer towards ill or incapacitated workers. There is going to be shift in terms of who exactly will carry the burden - the extent to which the employer is responsible for the cost of disability vs. the degree to which he can ensure it - and this will not necessarily be in favor of the former.
Subsequently, MDK Flowers & Green nursery was also visited. The breeder, specializing in decorative greenery, is located very near the auction and is a customer of De Winter’s. Rutte, who was brought there by a De Winter driver, let himself extensively be informed about the state of affairs there, and he also took a look in the greenhouse.
Rutte gets an explanation about the daily routine
With MDK director Marcel Duijvesteijn
... and management assistant Susan Beekenkamp
An employee explains about harvesting and processing
A bit of a squeeze - but what a great greenhouse
Part of MDK’s team