The Members’ Council unanimously drew its conclusions from the emergency brake petition process and agreed to the way forward. This happened during the official Members’ Council meeting. The most important conclusion is: there is work to do!
During the petition talks and the extra Members' Council meeting on 20 May 2021, members brought up sore points about the implementation of the strategy and the functioning of the Members' Council. "We also heard criticism of the Management Board and the Supervisory Board. The concerns of members have led to great unrest. We must learn from this. Some members feel they are not being heard enough. That needs to change," according to Marcel van Tol, chair of the Members' Council.
Improvements in three areas
Under the title 'Towards Cooperative 2025', the Members' Council is going to set to work itself on improvements in three areas:
1. Collaboration in the cooperative triangle (Members' Council, Supervisory Board, and Management Board)
2. The reporting and advisory function of the Members' Council by the Members' Council
3. The member involvement in strategic choices
Specific actions have been identified in these areas. For example, the Members' Council is bringing in an external specialist to empower the Members' Council to make the most of its position in the triangle. New working agreements in the triangle are being worked on, so that the Members' Council, Management Board, and Supervisory Board can fulfill its duties properly and take responsibility for that in the interests of the cooperative and its members. A development plan should help improve the quality of the Members' Council (members). A signal meter will be a tool to ensure that signals from members are properly received by the Members' Council and the company.
Response to the petition
In the formal meeting of 22 April, the Members' Council already rejected two requests from the petition. The third request was partly granted and was discussed during the extra Members' Council meeting on 20 May. On the basis of this and the previous evaluation of the Members' Council, the points for improvement were established. The petition also called for an external audit of the day-to-day affairs of business. However, continuing to focus on what's already happened will not help us move forward. Moreover, IT and financial audits are already being conducted as part of normal business operations. Requests were also made to reverse certain decisions. The Members' Council does not support that. "We must watch out that the cooperative doesn't become unmanageable. The strategy is our future and we stand behind it. However, the implementation could be improved. Royal FloraHolland is an extension of our companies. We must ensure together that works as effectively as possible. We are already on the right path with that with the new approach for Floriday," says Marcel van Tol.
"We would like to thank all members who participated and provided input during the sessions with members in recent months. A good discussion helps us to progress. The Members' Council will continue discussing the implementation of the strategy with the Management Board and, if necessary, the Supervisory Board. As the Members' Council, we have now laid down the markers for the future so that we can keep our cooperative on course together." The Members' Council thus concludes the formal petition procedure. The process will still be evaluated.
Examination of alternatives to BBH levy
The BBH levy was also on the agenda of the Members' Council. The Members' Council thinks it is a good idea that the Flower Council of Holland (Bloemen Bureau Holland, BBH) is examining alternatives to the collection which is currently carried out by Royal FloraHolland. Royal FloraHolland pays the BBH levy to the Flower Council of Holland. This levy pays for the successful collective public campaigns aimed at consumers; an investment in the shared future of the entire floriculture industry. The entire sector benefits from this.
Additional grower-member of the Supervisory Board
Furthermore, the Supervisory Board announced in the Members' Council meeting that it wants to add an additional grower-Supervisory Board member to the Supervisory Board at the end of this year. This is to ensure the retirement schedule runs more smoothly in the coming years. The Members' Council agrees with this. The vacancy will soon be announced officially, after which the selection procedure will follow.
For more information:
Royal FloraHolland
www.royalfloraholland.com