Former Labour party (PvdA) chairman Hans Spekman will take over as chair of the FNV, the Netherlands’ largest trade union, which has been embroiled in internal disputes for the past year.

Spekman, 60, will take up his post on May 1 at a crucial time for the unions, who are gearing up for a confrontation with Rob Jetten’s government over its proposed changes to the retirement age, unemployment insurance and incapacity benefits.

Spekman was an MP for the PvdA for 11 years and chairman of the party from 2011 until 2017. He was one of the most vocal opponents of the upcoming merger with the green-left party GroenLinks.

Since 2018 he has been director of the youth education fund (Jeugdeducatiefonds).

He takes over from interim chairman Dick Koerselman, who was appointed a year ago when the previous board was dismissed under pressure from several sectors within the union including government employees, metalworkers and dock workers.

Subsequent investigations criticised the lack of effective, professional management and a safe working environment within the union.

Former deputy prime minister Lodewijk Asscher and former union chairman Ton Heerts drew up plans to replace the members’ parliament with a union council that would be directly accountable to the supervisory board.

The parliament rejected the proposals, but court of appeal’s enterprise chamber ruled they should go ahead. Spekman will be the first chairman under the new set-up.

He called on prime minister Rob Jetten to attend the May Day rally on his first day in office and listen to workers’ concerns.

“As chairman of the Jeugdeducatiefonds I have spent the last few years helping families all over the country where parents are stuck in their job or existence to get back on their feet,” he said. “As chairman of the FNV I want to continue in the same vein.”