Parental leave is breaking point for Maastricht coalition: Volt won't get a new one Municipal executive

Party leader of Volt Maastricht, Jules Ortjens, calls it a woeful choice: "As Maastricht Council group , we spent the past month focusing on putting forward a new candidateMunicipal executive for the municipality and its residents. In those discussions, upcoming parenthood and the leave that comes with it proved to be an unbridgeable obstacle."

This leads to considerable disappointment at Volt. "Given that parental leave coincides with the annual carnival recess, we were convinced that there was no insurmountable problem," said Ortjens. "The leave would initially occupy only six weeks, during February and March, out of a remaining reign of say 2.5 years. We see the possibility of parental leave as an essential right. This is non-negotiable for us. We regret that this parental leave has nevertheless been a breaking point for our coalition partners."

Because of the current challenges within the social domain, it was desirable for the municipal executives to appoint a new Municipal executive effective January 1, 2024. In Volt's discussions with coalition partners, it quickly became apparent that a scenario in which Volt-Municipal executive would be absent for six weeks, from February to mid-March, due to parental leave was not supported. The alternative would involve the Municipal executive starting immediately following parental leave. However, this too later proved a bridge too far for the coalition partners.

It was not possible for Volt to find a second candidateMunicipal executive between now and January 1 who would meet the quality requirements, enjoy the confidence of the entire Volt Council group and would also be available by January 1. The municipal executives 's reaching out to jointly nominate a new, possibly independent, candidate did not work out. "The candidateMunicipal executive we had our eye on fits completely into Volt's picture, both in terms of capabilities and reliability. Therefore, we did not want to compromise on this. In addition, Volt sees parental leave as an essential right, also for political office holders. As we now also see at the national level with Minister Schreinemacher, there should be a solution for parental leave."

When asked "how to proceed now," Ortjens replied, "We stand behind the city agreement that we signed with conviction at the time. However, this does not mean that we uncritically accept everything within the implementation. The details are in the implementation, and we will continue to work from our new role for a green, progressive, social and inclusive Maastricht, as one would expect from a constructive party like Volt, even in opposition."