The main news on the front pages of nearly all the Dutch papers is the storm of protest sparked by FNV trade union federation leader Agnes Jongerius’ intention to join forces with the populist rightwing Freedom Party (PVV) in her fight against cabinet plans to raise the legal retirement age.

AD writes: “Jongerius under heavy fire”, Trouw says: “FNV supporters call Jongerius to account” and according to De Telegraaf, “Members want Jongerius to go”.

AD reports that the chairs of the FNV’s member unions will meet later today in emergency session to discuss the issue. One of the FNV unions, the civil servants’ union Abvakabo, says the FNV should not talk to “a racist organisation like the PVV”. And: “Solidarity and equality are deeply engrained values which the PVV absolutely does not endorse” Many Abvakabo members say they will cancel their membership if Ms Jongerius goes ahead with her plans.

Ms Jongerius mentioned her plan to meet with the PVV on the retirement age issue in an interview with a military union journal: “Call it opportunism, but every bit of support you can get counts.” PVV leader Geert Wilders - just like Ms Jongerius fiercely opposed to raising the retirement age - has said he will accept her invitation.

With employers’ organisations and the unions having failed to reach agreement on the retirement issue, the cabinet will present its unilateral decision on the matter this Friday.    

DSB Bank probably close to bankruptcy
The main news on the front page of today’s edition of de Volkskrant is the expected demise of DSB Bank. The paper writes: “Continued existence of DSB hangs by a thread”. According to de Volkskrant, De Nederlandsche Bank (DNB) - the Dutch central bank - is ready to take control of DSB, which is said to be technically bankrupt.

Sources at the finance ministry have told the paper that the government will not come to the rescue if the bank goes under. DSB Bank’s has a balance sheet of nearly eight billion euros, not enough to be eligible for a government rescue operation. A court has reportedly granted a request for bankruptcy protection filed by the government watchdog DNB. So far, neither DSB Bank nor DNB have confirmed these reports. Just last Saturday, DNB President Nout Wellink said the bank met DNB’s standards for solvency and liquidity.

DSB Bank has been under investigation for some time because of its alleged policy of selling its clients unnecessary and expensive single-premium life insurance policies as a compulsory part of mortgage loans which then far exceeded the value of the underlying property. Two weeks ago, Chair Pieter Lakeman of the Stichting Hypotheekleed (Mortgage Distress Foundation) called on DSB clients to empty their accounts. He argued that their interests would be best served by the bankruptcy that would automatically follow.

Dutch-Moroccan professionals and organisations publish manifesto
Also in de Volkskrant there’s a report on a group of 38 Dutch-Moroccan professionals and organisations which has published a manifesto intended to break the passivity in their community regarding crime among young Dutch people of Moroccan descent.

The paper writes that the group wants to increase awareness of the high crime rate among young Dutch-Moroccans being a major social problem for which their own community needs to take responsibility. The signatories include police officers, prison staff, teachers and social workers. They argue that intensive coaching, correction and re-socialisation are crucial to “Get these young people back in line”.

In the manifesto they say: The Moroccan community still adopts a passive stance in the fight against crime among their young people, thereby creating the impression that they believe the ensuing problems are not their concern. They are mistaken. Dutch people of Moroccan descent in particular should do everything in their power to fight this problem. It is ‘their young people’ who are the cause of it and it is they who are blamed by society”.  

The signatories want to meet regularly to advise organisations and policy-making officials. Social worker Ibrahim Wijbenga, son of a Frisian father and a Moroccan mother, says: “Think of us as a think tank with added value. We want to emphasise that Dutch-Moroccan juvenile delinquents are not just our problem, they are a burden for society as a whole but receive too little quality attention”. Mr Wijbenga argues that too much energy is invested in de-radicalisation. “We lose more young people to crime than to Salafism”.

Dutch Labour Party at historic low in polls
Free newspaper De Pers reports that the PvdA, the Dutch Labour Party, has sunk to a historic low in the weekly poll conducted by pollster Maurice de Hond.

If elections were held today, the social democratic party would win only 13 seats - one seat down from last week - compared to the 33 seats it currently holds in the 150-seat parliament.

PvdA voters are reportedly turning their backs on the party because of its failure to score in the coalition government with the Christian Democratic CDA and the Christian Union and also because of its alleged lack of plans for the future. Another reason mentioned by voters is the performance of party chair Mariëtte Hamer. Sixty percent of those interviewed said she should resign in favour of PvdA MP Diederik Samson.

Coalition partner CDA lost one seat in this week’s poll, which would leave the party with 26 seats if elections were held now, the same number as the Democratic party D66. At 28 seats, the PVV – the populist Freedom Party – is still the biggest party in the polls.

Oosterschelde lobsters moving house
The front page of AD features a photograph of a group of divers on the bank of the Oosterschelde, an estuary in the province of Zeeland, holding up one of the lobsters they are moving to a new location.

A dyke-reinforcement programme by the Dutch water management authorities is threatening the lobsters’ breeding grounds, and so fishermen and divers are working together to save as many lobsters as they can. Connoisseurs say the lobsters of the Oosterschelde taste even better than those caught in Scotland or Canada. So far, the mixed group of 40 Dutch and Belgian divers has been able to save 73 of the endangered crustaceans.