\u2018A remarkable person has left us,\u2019 reads the headline above the obituary for Dirk Swagerman. And he was a remarkable person indeed!<\/p>\n
Dirk was treasurer and chairman of CNV Dienstenbond for a very long time. In that order. He was treasurer first and foremost. If he would not have become a director of the CNV Dienstenbond, he could have been an accountant. Dirk loved to look behind the numbers.
\nFortunately, he went to work for the CNV Dienstenbond and devoted nearly forty years to CNV Dienstenbond, the CNV and the interests of employees in general.<\/p>\n
Dirk may have been treasurer and chairman, but in everything he did, he remained a true trade union leader. He followed all negotiations in all sectors. From a distance, but with great interest.<\/p>\n
Dirk also had a keen interest in trade unions outside the Netherlands. Partly due to the activities of Jaap Kos, his predecessor at the CNV Dienstenbond, he soon became involved in international work. As chairman of the WFCW (World Federation of Clerical Workers), the predecessor of the WOW, Jaap was very enthusiastic about the work of trade unions in Latin America and the Caribbean. At the time, Dirk was only treasurer and was often confronted with Jaap’s plans to support union projects there. These plans were so frequent that Dirk soon started to make room in his annual budget for international trade union projects.<\/p>\n
The work in the international trade union also cost money. So an item for international work was added to the budget.
\nThis meant that Dirk had to take into account three more or less fixed amounts on the expenditure side: international trade union projects, international work and, of course, the contribution to our international trade union WFCW.<\/p>\n
After Jaap Kos left, Roel Rotshuizen took over the international work. At that time, WOW gained more members in Africa and Asia. Dirk was very interested in the results of the unions‘ projects there. He was also willing to set aside more money for international work as WOW expanded.<\/p>\n
The space Dirk created within his budget enabled Jaap Kos and Roel Rotshuizen to devote themselves to WOW and to visit unions regularly at the expense of the CNV Dienstenbond.<\/p>\n
He also translated his interest into action. He was appointed to the WOW Audit Committee (Dirk consistently referred to it as the Cash Control Committee).<\/p>\n
He was also actively involved in managing part of the WOW’s capital held in a Dutch bank.<\/p>\n
Dirk worked for the Audit Committee for a very long time. He closely monitored WOW’s finances and was a positive and critical discussion partner for Rolf Weber, WOW’s treasurer.<\/p>\n
Canada held a special place in his heart because his wife originates from there. He was delighted when the CLAC from Canada joined the WOW. He immediately hit it off with his fellow chairmen, first Dick Heinen and later Wayne Prins.<\/p>\n
For Dirk, actions spoke louder than words. He was not interested in long theoretical discussions. Dirk liked to talk, but not about trivial matters. The conversation had to be about something meaningful. He detested opinions that were not backed up by facts. Meetings were not his favourite activity. But when his position required him to attend a meeting, he would faithfully do so because he felt it was his responsibility.<\/p>\n
Fortunately, Dirk had a great sense of humour, which helped him put things into perspective. He liked to use his humour to hold up a mirror to himself and others.<\/p>\n
Dirk was a trade unionist with heart and soul. And he was a man of associations. He was well aware that he stood at the service of the members. The interests of the members always came first. To achieve this, you had to do your utmost at all levels within the union, both at home and abroad.<\/p>\n
Some people thought that Dirk was very frugal as treasurer. He was not. Dirk was careful and wanted every euro to be accounted for. He found it very difficult to make an expenditure that did not benefit the members in some way. On the other hand, he was also an entrepreneur. Dirk was open to discussing investments in projects at home and abroad that did not promise guaranteed returns. Taking risks was part of his job as chairman and treasurer.<\/p>\n
And last but not least, Dirk was a special person because he was 100 per cent reliable. You could always count on Dirk. Dirk said what he did and did what he said.<\/p>\n
Dirk never shirked his responsibilities. Even difficult messages had to be conveyed.<\/p>\n
That was how he dealt with members, with employees of the CNV Dienstenbond, with colleagues within the CNV and with employers. And because Dirk was so thoroughly reliable, most people were able to accept difficult messages from him.<\/p>\n
\u201cA special person has left us\u201d\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026but we will always remember his commitment and engagement. Rest in peace.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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