Netherlands
State sector negotiations get under way
Negotiations covering around 130,000 civil servants started on 10 May and Marco Ouwehand, the spokesperson for the FNV trade union and chair of EPSU’s National and European Administration Committee has provided some insight into the first steps in the bargaining and the main issues at stake. So far the union side has not put forward a specific claim for a pay rise but it is aiming for compensation for inflation with an emphasis on protecting lower paid workers in particular. One target is ensuring a minimum hourly pay rate of €14. The negotiations will also cover early retirement and measures
Central government negotiations set to begin
The collective agreement covering central government workers expired at the end of March and the trade unions, including the FNV, and government are about to start negotiations over a new agreement. On the employers’ side there is a commitment to discuss pay for civil servants on the lower pay scales, the design of leave arrangements, rosters and workplace measures to address climate change. On the union side the priority will be purchasing power and salaries, along with several other issues including provisions on early retirement and action to reduce workloads.
Disability care agreement delivers 8%+ for lower paid
Members of the FNV, NU’91 and other unions have endorsed the new collective agreement covering around 190000 workers in disability care that is backdated and runs from 1 October 2021 to 31 January 2024. There is a 2.2% pay rise as from 1 May 2022 but with an €85 minimum increase and with also a commitment to a minimum hourly rate of €13.00. This means a 5% increase for the lowest paid. On 1 May 2023 there will be a further increase of 3.2%. The agreement also provides for hours reductions for older workers to encourage them to stay at work longer and measures to address the needs of women
Youth workers get 8% increase in three-year deal
Following a long campaign and strike action in March, the FNV trade union, along with CNV and FBZ, has negotiated a new agreement covering the 30,000 workers in youth care. This includes a wage increase of 8% percent over three years and a one-off amount of 250 euros. A 2% pay rise will be backdated to January 2021 and 3% applied this year with a further 3% in 2023. There will also be scope for employees to choose when and where they work, while the mileage allowance for travel during work goes up by around a third. There are also important provisions to tackle excessive workloads with
Unions secure 6%+ for workers in social care
The FNV and NU’91 trade unions have negotiated a two-year collective labour agreement covering 470000 workers in nursing and care homes and home care – the largest agreement in the country. All employees get a 2% pay rise dated from 1 March, with a minimum of €65 euros per month, with an extra 1.25% for the lower salary scales, making it an effective 3.5% increase for the lowest salary scale. On 1 March 2023, there will be a further 3% increase for all workers. The agreement also includes improvements to travel expenses and provisions to allow for reducing workloads and improving schedules
Thousands join day of action by youth workers
Youth care workers, members of the FNV trade union, took only the second day of strike action ever on 15 March. This is part of their long-running campaign to get a better collective agreement for the 32000 workers in the sector and to address workloads, recruitment and retention. The union argues that overwork and poor pay and conditions are driving workers from the sector and this only increases workloads for those who remain. Alongside better pay and conditions the union is calling for higher funding for the sector and this message was endorsed by the many organisations that joined the
Pay rises for workers in general health practices
The FNV and other unions representing health staff have negotiated a new agreement covering workers in general practice that will run from the beginning of 2022 to 1 January 2024. In May 2022 there will be a pay increase of 3% for the lower pay scales (1-9) and 2% for those pay scale 10 and above. The end-of-year bonus will be increased by one percentage point to 7.5%. In May 2023 there will be a general pay increase of 2.6% and the end-of-year bonus will be increased to 8.33%. There have been a number of other changes in relation to registration fees and training and further work to address
Hospital agreement gets partial support
The FNV trade union has negotiated a new agreement covering 200,000 hospital workers that delivers pay rises and a range of other benefits. The basic pay rise, from 1 January 2022 will be €90 a month for lower paid workers, worth around 3%, and 2% for higher paid workers. There are other provisions to allow for additional steps in the pay table and the setting of a €13-an-hour minimum wage which means that some workers will see increases of between 5% and 16.8%. A lump sum of €250 is paid along with increases to irregular shift payments and on-call allowances. There will be a €2-a-day payment
Library workers vote on new agreement
Members of the FNV trade union are voting on whether to accept the new negotiated agreement covering staff in public libraries. The two and a half year agreement actually covers the period from 1 July 2020 to 31 December 2022 with some measures already implemented including a 3% pay increase in 2020 and a 2% increase in 2021. There will be a further increase of 2% as of 1 July 2022 and a one-off pro-rata payment of €300 gross in March 2022. The agreement covers other working conditions including the introduction of an annual hours system this year, a new compensation scheme for working on
Pay rises of up to 9% for mental health workers and other news
The FNV, along with other trade unions, has negotiated a three-year deal for around 100,000 mental health workers that provides for pay increases of up to 9% and a minimum increase of €60 a month. There is a 2% pay increase each year plus a change to the pay structure that equates to overall increases of 7%-9%. There are also improvements to call-out and rest arrangements, a €2-a-day working-from-home allowance and reduced working time for those within four years of retirement. Union members will now vote on the offer. Meanwhile, there has been progress in the nursing home and home care sector
Youth workers take second day of strike action
Around 600 youth workers gathered in The Hague on 29 November as part of day of national strike action organised by the FNV trade union. This followed an earlier one-day strike on 11 November. The workers gathered in The Hague to watch a debate on the funding of youth work in parliament. The union is calling for urgent action to increase funding in order to tackled the pressure on workers with growing waiting lists and an increase in people leaving youth work because of stress and burnout from overwork. The collective agreement for the sector which covers 32000 workers expired in November and
Union members vote on municipal agreement
Members of the FNV trade union are in the process of voting on whether to support the agreement covering the municipal sector that was negotiated last month. The agreement provides for a 1.5% pay increase from 1 December 2021 and a further increase of 2.4% from 1 April 2022. There will also be a €1200 lump sum paid, €900 of which is pensionable and €300 of which reflects a COVID bonus. Also the agreement commits municipalities to guarantee a €14 an hour minimum wage from 1 January 2022. There are several other elements to the agreement including a working-from-home allowance and measures
Health workers plan third day of industrial action
The FNV and other unions that organise in the eight university medical centres (UMCs) are planning a third day of industrial action on 25 November unless the employers show willingness to re-open negotiations over pay, workloads and staffing. This will be the third day of action in the UMCs that employ around 80000 workers. The employers have said that they will negotiate over allocation of the extra €60 million of funding for pay provided by the government. However, the unions argue that even with the additional money this would still leave a below-inflation pay rise for the next three years
Unions step up action in university medical centres
Following last month’s strike in university medical centres, the FNV and other trade unions organised another national strike on 26 October, this time affecting more than three times as many departments across the eight centres. The action is effectively imposing a Sunday service across 279 departments including operating theatres, radiology services, laboratories, outpatient clinics and various nursing departments. All emergency care continues. The unions are calling for a 3% pay increase for all workers and action to tackle understaffing and excessive workloads.