2023-09-03 13:15:00
Raoul Hedebouw was the guest of the program “Face à Buxant” this Sunday on RTL TVI. The president of the Labor Party of Belgium was confronted with an entrepreneur. He questioned Raoul Hedebouw on the speech of the PTB. According to him, it opposes employees and bosses and devalues the work and the risks taken by the bosses.
Martin Buxant: We welcome an entrepreneur. His name is Hubert Ewbank de Wespin. He comes from the region of Mons, we know him because we have already tasted his wine, it is the domain of Chant d’Eole. You employ a hundred people in the region of Mons, in Hainaut. We wanted to have you with us to see what you think of Raoul Hedebouw’s economic recipes. Do they scare you?
Hubert Ewbank the Wasp: Obviously it scares me as an entrepreneur when we hear these rather ideological speeches that try to please everyone. It scares us because it’s quite unrealistic.
Martin Buxant: Unrealistic in what?
Hubert Ewbank the Wasp: We are people on the ground. When we see the current difficulty in finding employment, whether in the vineyard, the hotel and catering industry or different sectors, it is quite complicated to build a sustainable business. What bothers me above all is this class struggle that you often put on the table. And this separation between my employees, my workers, with the employers. I think that precisely, it is necessary to create a family. Trying to bring people together, create real wealth and benefits with them. There, we always put this opposition between these workers and these bosses, these entrepreneurs who take risks.
Martin Buxant: Do the nationalizations that Raoul Hedebouw talks regarding scare you too?
Hubert Ewbank the Wasp: Obviously. We are taken from our domain… We are for meritocracy, we are for those who take risks and succeed. Me, I applaud when someone earns a living and becomes rich, so much the better, bravo. He took risks, he took out loans, he mortgaged his house. So you have to encourage success. This is what scares us.
Raoul Hedebouw: Obviously, in nationalization, we are obviously not talking regarding the agricultural sectors, and even less viticultural. But I realize that in fact, in our economic sector, when you see the energy prices, I don’t understand why the smallest employers, I don’t know your business exactly, but don’t rebel for say: “How is it possible that a multinational like Engie plunders us to such an extent?”. That’s why more and more small entrepreneurs are contacting me to say: “I don’t agree with your whole program, but when you say that we have to stop depending on a big multinational like that , you are right”. It is rather reaching out to this small business.
Hubert Ewbank the Wasp: That reassures me, but that’s another debate. […] The problem is not there. The big problem is unemployment. Find the workforce. People don’t work. There is always this separation of classes. This is what we would really like to put in place in Belgium. Take these unemployed people and put them all to work. I think we have to revalue the work. We must give pride to the worker.
Raoul Hedebouw: Me too. This is also where there is a class struggle. When you tell me that in the horeca you can’t find any staff.
Martin Buxant: But it’s not all a fight anyway…
Raoul Hedebouw: Wait, I’ll finish this example. The catering sector, I have lots of my friends who tell me: “But Raoul, go and work in the catering sector for 1,800, 1,900 or 2,000 euros with the hours we work and everything and everything…”. Wages need to be raised in the sector. It is a class struggle. I can understand that side. It’s a class struggle if we increase… But all sectors are in short supply. The second sector is the health care sector.
Martine Buxant: Is it a class struggle, Hubert Ewbank de Wespin?
Hubert Ewbank the Wasp: No… I had read in your program for example that you wanted to reduce the 38 to 30 hours (of work), but with the same salary. So can you imagine? It’s not feasible. You imagine on a product, on a bottle of wine or on a loaf, I will say to my buyer: “Sorry, I have to increase the bottle strongly because Mr. Hedebouw wants to give the same salary for 30 hours”. We have a fairly easy solution. I don’t mind paying 3,000 euros for one of my workers, but I find it unacceptable that he only has 1,800 euros in his pocket. On that, we more or less agree. Everyone agrees that low and medium salaries are a problem in Belgium. It’s not normal for my workers to tell me at the end of the month: “Hubert, I don’t know how to make myself a hobby. I don’t know how to make myself a restaurant, I don’t know how to please my children”. This is unacceptable. But instead of always taxing entrepreneurs, what you call the rich, I don’t like the word rich because an entrepreneur, for me, is a winner, a winner. He is someone who takes risks, who gives work, who creates wealth.
Martin Buxant: Is the entrepreneur a winner?
Raoul Hedebouw: But the workers who produce the wealth are winners too. Let’s be clear. They take a lot of risks. Besides, without workers… That’s why the employers complain as soon as there is a strike.
Hubert Ewbank the Wasp: But I am not for this class struggle.
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