There are about 20 registered home-based hairdressers in the Netherlands. And every day one or two new ones are registered. For many years, this fact has caused discontent with ANKO, the Dutch hairdressing union. Recently, ANKO has been in talks with 000 municipalities, seeking an agreement to end the registration of new barbers planning to work from home.
And several municipalities have already agreed to introduce restrictions on the registration of such entrepreneurs. The industry association, which includes Dalfsen, Dronten, Hardenberg, Urk, Harlingen and Twenteran, said they advocate for a fair and healthy economy with uniform rules for employers with staff and private entrepreneurs. Currently, according to ANKO, they are in an unequal position.
Control problem
ANKO believes that hairdressing salons must meet certain standards, which entail certain costs and investments, while home salons do not meet these rules or do not sufficiently comply with them, and they are unlikely to be checked. For example, hairdressers must follow the rules for handling chemical products. Accordingly, hairdressers working from home must adhere to the same rules, and the municipality, the fire department and the occupational health service must monitor their observance.
But among the 20 private hairdressers registered with the Chamber of Commerce, there are approximately 000-5 percent of entrepreneurs against whom ANCO does not make such claims. These are the so-called "outpatient" hairdressers, i.e. those specialists who cut their hair, for example, elderly people, visiting a client at home, since such clients are less mobile.
In addition to the control issue, ANKO is also concerned about the disappearance of hairdressing salons from shopping and urban centers. In their opinion, this creates a problem with internship places for future hairdressers. For example, in urban-type settlements, hairdressing services have become almost "invisible" due to the fact that hairdressers have moved from the center to the districts where they live.
Competition
However, hairdressers themselves who work at home do not agree with this position. “I don’t understand ANKO,” says a woman who runs a salon in Dalfsen, one of the municipalities where permits to register private hairdressers are no longer issued.
“Until I was 40, I worked in regular hairdressing salons, and then I opened my own salon at home. I have a lot of experience and in my salon everything is organized according to the rules,” she says. For her, as for many private hairdressers, cutting hair at home is the most profitable. “I keep my prices reasonable. But if I have to rent the premises myself, I simply won’t have anything left.”
The atmosphere in the area
According to ANKO's union, a “real” hairdressing salon helps to revitalize the city center: “After a haircut, people usually go out to the shopping street or go to a cafe. It's good for social cohesion. "
The municipality of Dronten explains its actions to limit the registration of “home hairdressers” with the desire to protect ordinary hairdressers in the center. “We believe that the number of working hairdressers should not increase. But if one of the private hairdressers stops working, then another can be registered in his place,” says a representative of the Dronten municipality. In addition, they do not want to allow three private hairdressers to appear in one area, since this, according to the municipality, could greatly change the atmosphere of the area.
Publication Date: 10.09.2019
