Collective Bargaining

On January 16, 250 cleaners held a protest action at Schiphol, the international airport of Amsterdam. Jointly with their union, FNV Bondgenoten, they were demanding to be treated with respect by their employers and by the airport operator. In particular, they were asking for a travel allowance to enable them to get to work, as well as clean and comfortable amenities in the workplace. The demonstrators marched over the airport, with drums, megaphones and placards, ensuring that their demands were seen and heard by the airport management, passengers, shoppers and other passers-by. Yet, FNV Bondgenoten says to be disappointed by the employers' reaction and to prepare for further industrial action.
English: http://www.uniglobalunion.org/Apps/iportal.nsf/pages/sec_20081016_gbg7En
Dutch: http://www.fnvbondgenoten.nl/branches_bedrijven/branches/dienstverlening/schoonmaak/1272681/

Public servants union ABVAKABO FNV has said that a government plan that public sector workers' pay should be frozen is unacceptable. The union points out that a statement from the joint union and employer Labour Foundation proposes negotiating agreements on pay, employment and training. Notably with a view to bargaining the new one-year collective agreement for general hospitals and mental health care, ABVAKABO FNV, now joined by health care union NU '91, emphasized to refuse a wage freeze and to stick to a 3% wage demand for this sector. ABVAKABO FNV president, Edith Snoey, said: "The idea that there is no room for wage increase cannot be explained to our constituency, struggling with labour shortages and high work pressure". Both unions are also opposed to lifting the pension age from 65 to 67 as far as it concerns the mentally and physically demanding occupations in health care.
Dutch: http://www.volkskrant.nl/economie/article1170949.ece/Bonden_lonen_in_de_zorg_niet_bevriezen;
http://www.abvakabofnv.nl/cao/bericht/abvakabo_fnv_wil_gelijke_loonontwikkeling_in_publieke_en_marktsector/

As of 1 April, all companies troubled by the current crisis can apply for part-time unemployment benefits for (parts of) their staff, provided that workers' representatives -mostly the Works Council- give their approval and a training plan has been drawn up. The new scheme replaces the special short-time support arrangement, which from 30 November 2008 to 20 March has been used by 770 companies. The condition in this arrangement that companies should show a 30% decline in turnover within two months, has been removed, and it is expected that a larger number of companies will qualify for the new scheme. Companies can apply for part-time unemployment benefits for maximum 15 months: initially for three months, with possibilities for prolongation for twice six months. Jointly with some smaller labour market measures, the government budget foreseen for the new scheme is Euro 375 million (See also this Collective Bargaining Newsletter Year 1 No. 10 and Year 2 January and February).
Dutch: De Volkskrant, March 25 and 26, 2009; information Ministry of Social Affairs and Employment

Four public sector unions, ABVAKABO FNV, BVPP, CNV Publieke Zaak and VPP, have reached a basic collective agreement with TNT in which they accept a wage decline of gross 15% for postal workers in grades 1 to 4, in exchange for an employment guarantee by which forced dismissals will be excluded for the next three years. A transition period has been agreed during which TNT pays 95%, ranging from two years for those under 35 of age till five years for those over 50. The agreement is subject to membership ballot till April 29. Union officials emphasize that these results have to be projected against the backdrop of the full liberalisation of the Dutch postal market, on April 1. Main ABVAKABO FNV negotiator, Peter Wiechmann, said: "We stood with our backs against the wall. The alternative was the dismissal of 11,000 workers, and that's impossible."
Dutch: NRC-Handelsblad, March 10, 2009; http://www.abvakabofnv.nl/cao/bericht/verslechterde_cao_voor_postbodes_tnt

The collective agreement covering provincial (regional) authorities runs until June this year and public services union AbvaKabo FNV has carried out a survey to find out what workers see as the priorities for the forthcoming negotiations. A basic pay increase proved to be top of the agenda, but provincial government employees are also concerned about their workloads and the impact of restructuring. Next, they would like to see improvements in training, competence development and career progression and finally a decent pension.
English: http://www.epsu.org/cob/287
Dutch: http://www.abvakabofnv.nl/cao/bericht/inzetten_op_structurele_salarisverhoging/

Till mid-February, 470 companies were allowed to use the official short-time support arrangement, mostly from the metal, chemical and construction industries. On 24 January, the Minister of Social Affairs and Employment, Piet Hein Donner, announced that a further extension in the deadline for applications to this arrangement, from 1 March till the end of March. Again, the minister said to accept that the costs involved would go over the former limit of Euro 200 million, especially in view of the need for companies to retain and train skilled workers. It is broadly expected that in mid-March social partners will draw up a social accord, which is supposed to open the door for more in-depth measures. Most likely the government will introduce a system of part-time unemployment benefits by then. The minister used the occasion to criticize the employers' side for actually dismissing occupationally disabled more than proportionally (See also this Collective Bargaining Newsletter Year 1 No. 10 and Year 2 No. 1).
Dutch: information Ministry of Social Affairs and Employment
http://www.refdag.nl/artikel/1393838/Werktijdverkorting+verlengd.html

Public services union AbvaKabo FNV is pleased that the Ministry of Social Affairs and Employment has ruled that the childcare collective agreement should be made generally binding. The agreement covered 80% of workers in the sector and was negotiated with the Mogroep employers' organisation. The smaller BKN employers' association had argued that it should not be covered by the agreement, but was overruled by the Ministry. The extension of the agreement will mean higher pay and longer holidays for many employees of BKN companies.
English: http://www.epsu.org/cob/287
Dutch: http://www.abvakabofnv.nl/cao/bericht/bkn_wel_onder_cao_kinderopvang/

On 15 January, under heavy pressure of the three trade union confederations and the employers' associations the Minister of Social Affairs and Employment, Piet Hein Donner, announced that the deadline for applications to the official short-time arrangement has been extended another six weeks to 1 March 2009 (and not to 1 April, like the social partners jointly had asked earlier). Four days later the minister said to accept that the costs involved would go over the former limit of Euro 200 million. He envisaged that after 1 March a weaker version of the arrangement will be introduced, to be discussed in the so-called crisis team that has been put up of government, unions and employers' associations. The FNV union confederation has plead for continuation of the short-time arrangement linked up with training programs and labour pools, pointing at the continuously large labour shortages in a number of sectors (See also this Collective Bargaining Newsletter Year 1 No. 10).
(Dutch: NRC-Handelsblad, 14, 15, 17, 19 and 24 January 2009; information Ministry of Social Affairs and Employment).

Public service union AbvaKabo FNV has called for a 3.5% pay increase for the 500,000 workers employed in health and social care and covered by three major collective agreements - hospitals, mental health and disabled care. The union argues that the sector is being affected by demographic change with staff shortages at the same time as there is an increasing demand from an ageing population, with the numbers in care likely to rise by 50% to 1.5 million over the next 15 years. As part of the claim the union also wants a 13th month payment.
(English: http://www.epsu.org/cob/282; Dutch: http://www.abvakabofnv.nl/cao/bericht/35_procent_meer_loon_en_13e_maand_voor_500000_zorgmedewerkers/)

On 9 December, on behalf of the three trade union confederations and the employers' associations the Labour Foundation (STAR) sent a letter to the Minister of Social Affairs and Employment, Piet Hein Donner, asking to soften the "rigid" rules of the current official short-time ("werktijdverkorting" or WTV) arrangement: prolongation to 1 April 2009 instead of 1 January and lifting the maximum number of 20,000 employees. The Dutch arrangement is rather similar to the German one: lowered wages can partly be compensated by government funds, under conditions of a temporary but most likely passing loss of work with sales falling minimum 30% in the two months before requesting support. Per worker this arrangement can last maximum 24 weeks. In view of the economic crisis, minister Donner had reserved Euro 200 million for this purpose, covering 760,000 hours.
Many companies reporting serious problems, like steel producer Corus, truck manufacturer DAF and chipmaker NXP, also argued that the closing date came too early and complained about bureaucratic procedures; already before getting official support, these three firms announced short-time for most of their workforce but also collective dismissals -- though under union pressure DAF retreated from the announced dismissals. By 26 December, the ministry had approved 137 of 280 requests for short-time support, covering 233,000 hours. By that time, the closing date was prolonged to 15 January.
(Dutch: NRC-Handelsblad, 5, 10, 30 and 31 December 2008; De Volkskrant, 20 December 2008; information Ministry of Social Affairs and Employment).