Yet apparently EIN was underperforming financially - perhaps unsurprising, given NL's labor regulation and hideously high cost of simply attempting to conduct business. Seems entirely fair for a company to curtail operations anywhere that isn't paying its way. And workers are responsible for their own destiny - not their employer, not any government - it's called personal accountability. But no, the Dutch courts appear to disagree - a sage reminder to any entity considering investing in, creating employment in The Netherlands. In short, *don't* - unless you've immense reserves to cover the risk. I'm curious as to why MOL would make such a costly error - though I wonder if he was blackmailed into "investing" in order to be granted landing slots?
Not a fan of MOL as an individual, but I admire all he's accomplished. And anything he can to to weaken unions will benefit the traveling public. Strikes grind my gears - you don't like your pay/conditions, go work for somebody else, rather than issuing ransom demands against the very people who pay your wages.
I lived in The Netherlands for several years of frustration - understaffed businesses, endemically hideous customer service, and little being done where *I* worked because at any given time, half the payroll seemed to be on vacation (paid), taking a half day (paid), experiencing a personal emergency (paid) or indefinite sick leave due to 'stress' - naturally, on full pay. Occasionally we *would* get a solid day's work done, but I heard that all the successful Dutch entrepreneurs had already emigrated, so I moved to Texas - bingo! Booming economy thanks to low costs of employment, and people can be fired on the spot for any reason, anytime - so we're productive and dedicated, and give our customers the respect they deserve. See a plot of land you like in one of our fast growing cities? Boom - you can open a retail establishment there within about 6 weeks from permit applications to breaking ground. California would take 3 years, plus who knows how many back-handers to corrupt liberal politicians. Benelux.... I'm assuming it would be deemed "not possible".
:P