Three supplier meetings were organized by De Vlijt in November and December 2023. "We wanted to meet our suppliers again in person to hear how they are doing," said De Vlijt operations manager Isabelle Swinkels. In total, we saw some 52 different suppliers in Moordrecht, Aalsmeer and Makkum.

Suppliers of De Vlijt who mediate ZZP'ers in addition to temporary workers were invited to De Klerk Binnenbouw in Moordrecht, Koninklijke De Vries Scheepsbouw in Aalsmeer or De Vries Scheepsbouw Makkum. On three different occasions suppliers were updated on current developments within Feadship and De Vlijt. "We want to thank you for your cooperation recently because we have been incredibly busy within Feadship with the new construction projects," said De Vlijt director Esther Meulendijk.

There was also extensive discussion during the meetings around the use of ZZPs at the various Feadship locations. The number of ZZP'ers has increased at all locations in the past five years. Specialists exchanged salaried employment for entrepreneurship to gain more freedom. "De Vlijt has therefore written a policy document in collaboration with HR to create unambiguous direction within Feadship around the conscious and compliant use of ZZP'ers" said Isabelle.

In addition, Esther announced that the developments from The Hague regarding laws and regulations are closely followed. The Cabinet plans to restore the labor market balance and make rules around self-employment and self-employment more future-proof. De Vlijt will take care of the right contracts and compliance sets on behalf of Feadship.

The meetings ended with an insight into the so-called 'De Vlijt market monitor'. Suppliers were given a cross-section of hiring volumes, rates, types of suppliers and developments thereof. After the presentations, there was room for questions. After the sandwich lunch there was also the opportunity for interested parties to get a tour of the yard. Isabelle and Esther concluded, "These were successful meetings where the necessary knowledge and experience was exchanged with each other."