If you get an accident or get sick, does it make sense that you've lost your income, too? Are lower salaries and poorer working conditions better, because your product is cheaper? They are questions that many people sound absurd (fortunately!) absurd.

But cloaked behind beautiful terms of 'efficiency' and 'flexibility' this is too often the outcome of the smitten belief in the market. But where does that lead? I'm thinking about inland skipper Wieger. He is an independent entrepreneur. But no insurer wanted to insure him against disability. Too old. When he broke his fibula while clearing the hold, he threatened to have six months without income. When the doctor told him he pulled away white. Competition thus leads to a race to the bottom in reward and protection. Or a parcel delivery guy who can just make ends meet. He calls 130 times a day. But the company he works for is under pressure, because the competitor is cheaper. There, the delivery drivers visit 240 addresses a day. They also earn hundreds of euros less. And even though the company doesn't want to, the market is forcing them to participate. Competition thus leads to a race to the bottom in reward and protection. Work is so much more than just your income. It's a source of pride. It's having fun with your colleagues and a chance to contribute something. But fewer and fewer workers are building a good pension or relying on bad luck support. Companies compete on the certainties of workers. All profits for shareholders, all risks to the employees. We can force new certainties together. These developments are not a nature law. It's a political choice. We can force new certainties together. That's why we're proposing: 1. The employee benefit. Reward employers who give their people security, tax cowboys who put the risks on employees. This makes it much more attractive to employ people again. And companies that are in favour of their people are no longer competed away by companies that squeeze workers.2. Protection in the case of illness and pension building for all workers. Everyone who works gets support when it's a little disappointing. It should not matter whether you prefer to work as an independent or more attach to a fixed contract. What is at stake is that all workers should be able to count on a good pension and insurance against incapacity for work. After the neoliberal decade, another era begins. There's a cover coming. The Scientific Council for Government Policy underlined it again last week. The economy needs to become more humane. Our goal should not be to have the most competitive economy, but to be the best place to work. You're only really free when you're sure of the basics. If you don't have to worry about your job and your income. If you know there's a safety net when something goes wrong. If you can decide for yourself how to do your job. Less stress, more certainty. Opting for human dignity over profit. That's the assignment for years to come.