> PENSION COUNCIL
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Pension council member Johan Kooij:
‘The Board keeps us well informed’
Is the Board performing well? What decisions does the Board take, and why? What could be improved? The Pension Council assesses and advises on such issues. Johan Kooij is a member and looks back on 2023. Johan (79) has been a member of the Pension Council for about 11 years, representing the pensioners. He finds it very fulfilling. He also actively represented the Nautilus trade union for many years. ‘Active’ is a word that really applies to Johan. He only left the sea six years ago because even after he officially retired at 58, he still enjoyed the life of a seafarer far too much. He’ll be leaving the Pension Council in about a year from now. ‘I'll then make way for other people – hopefully younger.’ Input from experts The Pension Council held regular meetings in 2023, with members of the Board attending more than once. 'The Board regularly updates us on everything that's going on. I have to say that they keep us well informed.’ One important topic in 2023 was of course the (Dutch) Future Pensions Act (Wtp), with the new pension rules. Currently, the pension fund still manages a single large sum of money for all its members, but soon each member will have their own ‘pension pot’. However, the pension fund will continue to invest all the members' money together; they won’t have a choice about that. The hot topic is of course how the pension fund's buffer will be distributed. Johan: ‘Currently, under the old rules, we had no choice. When you went to sea, you were given a pension fund booklet with the rules and you had to make do with that. We're now switching to new rules and the money needs to be distributed. Everybody has their own views about that. The younger members feel that the older members are 'eating up' their pension.
The older members naturally disagree. Our advice to the Board is for the money to be distributed as evenly and fairly as possible. That’s something that we'll all need to think very hard about, with input from experts. Both the Board and the Pension Council are paying close attention to this issue. The Board takes the decisions, and then the Pension Council can express its opinion on them.’ New system Another topic that the Pension Council regularly discussed with the Board in 2023 was the ICT system used by MN, the organisation that manages and administers pensions for Bpf Koopvaardij. That system was out of date. 'In 2023, MN started working with the PGGM organisation, which manages the pensions for multiple pension funds. That means we’ll also need to use PGGM’s ICT system. The switchover hasn't been completed yet, and we're keeping an eye on it.’ Johan would like there to be more young people and women on the Pension Council. 'It's currently much too one-sided. I did ask a number of women to join, but they weren't keen on doing so.’ He thinks that's a pity, because it's a great opportunity to have your say about pensions. ‘A quarter of your salary goes into building up your pension. So you need to have an opinion about it and find out about it – and not just be a touchline commentator.’ ←
About the Pension Council
The Bpf Koopvaardij Pension Council consists of twelve representatives of employees and former employees, pensioners, and employers. It assesses the Board's policies and policy choices and gives advice on various subjects.