Danny Van Assche is no longer the managing director of the entrepreneurs' organisation Unizo. He is stepping down from his position "with immediate effect" due to "a difference in policy vision with the board".
Unizo announced this on Monday. Van Assche had been leading the entrepreneurs’ organisation since 2018.
"Unizo has undergone an intense transformation process in recent years as an advocate, service provider and member organisation. A difference in policy vision with the board regarding the further roll-out of this transformation made further cooperation no longer possible," leader Peter Brysse stated in a press release. Unizo did not provide further explanation.
The timing of the departure is in any case striking, at the start of the social consultation on a new inter-professional agreement that will set the wage and working conditions in the private sector for two years. Unizo is part of the Group of Ten, the consultative body with the top trade unions and employers.
The search for a successor is underway. For the time being, operational director Gilles Vandorpe will take over the day-to-day management of Unizo, while the advocacy will be in the hands of the director of the research department Johan Bortier and deputy director Frank Socquet. Brysse thanks Van Assche for "his dedication and commitment" in recent years.
"He has done an exceptionally good job of defending the interests of our self-employed and SMEs, guided the business world through the corona crisis and is a highly respected voice at many a negotiating table," it reads.
