We Are Not Stupid: Call It What It Is
December 23, 2024
For two days, I’ve been trying to wrap my head around it. At a government party organized for civil servants—without their partners—everyone was handed five vouchers for alcoholic drinks featuring only the best brands. This is even though the legal alcohol limit for driving equates to just two beers. And all of this unfolded under the watchful eye of the Minister of Justice.
At the peak of the event, the Minister of Finance took to the stage to announce a bonus of 1,000 guilders in January, dubbing it something like a “broke bonus.” This was on top of the 150-guilder holiday bonus already received by civil servants. Social welfare recipients had also been promised some form of bonus, though no one has clarified the specifics.
It’s obvious that election season is upon us, with the polls set for March next year. That’s fine—politics is politics. But let’s not call this a “bonus.”
A bonus, by definition, is tied to good business performance and individual achievements. Here, there’s no question of business results—unless you count higher tax revenues from inflated consumer prices due to skyrocketing inflation. And there’s no link whatsoever to the performance evaluation of individual civil servants.
By all means, give out the money if you must. But don’t call it a bonus. We’re already being treated like fools—don’t make it worse.
Miguel Goede
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