Arbeitszwang - auch für Heiminsassen

Hartzer Roller auch in Holland - oder wie es vom Slogan "Arbeit, Arbeit" zum Slogan "Holland arbeitet" kam, wer darunter leidet, wer dabei mitmacht - und wie der Arbeitszwang jetzt (kein Westfriesenwitz) auch auf Heiminsassen ausgedehnt wird. Der (englische) Beitrag "DUTCH WORK LUNACY THREATENS HUMAN RIGHTS" von L. van Overbeek vom 4. Juli 2006.

DUTCH WORK LUNACY THREATENS HUMAN RIGHTS

When Wim Kok became prime minister of the Netherlands in 1994 his slogan was 'Work, work and even more work'. Unemployment was declared the greatest curse of the country and everything had to be done to create jobs. In addition women had to make career.

This focus on the importance of work had lasted for almost ten years when the Netherlands - already more industrious than an ant-hill by now - came under the sway of Jan Peter Balkenende and his neo conservative friends and the pressure in the highly workaholic atmosphere was still further put up by their wish to reform the Dutch welfare state in an almost revolutionary way and to cut deeply in the expenses for social security.

Now the obsession with work became complete: people dependent on social assistance had to reintegrate in the job market henceforth, no matter how little their chances to find work. If they were not able to find a real job they were forced to hoe up weeds in the parks of their hometown or to assort coat hangers, something not even prisoners had to do. At the same time the concept 'fitting work' was eliminated from government rules: in the future all work should be considered to be fitting for everyone. In every possible way it was made quite clear that from now on no one would be permitted to live in the Netherlands without being productive somehow. That consequently human rights were violated did not bother anyone. Lawyers kept their mouth.

Those incapable of work were subjected to a medical examination on the basis of new criteria, found suitable for work, and partially or completely bereft of their income. They had to sell their homes and to face the gutter. Almost none of the doctors who were charged with these 'examinations' had the courage to defend medical ethics. The trade unions agreed. The media kept silent, as well as the general public. Solidarity did not exist any more. This was the land of 'Iron Rita' and the pride of nazi laws on euthanasia.

A few days ago some officials in the province of Friesland declared that the patients in their local lunatic asylum from now on would be forced to work. At the same moment Jan Peter Balkenende introduced a new slogan: 'Holland works'. The only possible further step on this path of work related madness that still can be made is to force the deceased to reintegrate in the job market.