In response to the high inflation rate and the soaring cost of living, the trade union confederation FNV has called for employers to raise the salaries of their workers by 14,3% in 2023 in order to make up for the diminishing purchasing power of workers. Employers, however, have argued that such a significant increase is unrealistic. In spite of the various measures the Government has announced to boost purchasing power, trade unions continue to fight for higher wages for workers. Taking the latest inflation figures from Statistics Netherlands (CBS) into account, FNV demands 14,3% increase for the new year, arguing that “the inflation rate for October is the percentage by which wages should be increased in the coming year”. The employers’ association AWVN was quick to express its dissatisfaction with the demand: "It is not realistic. Many companies cannot afford that at all”.
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For more information, please contact Paul de Beer or Oana Ciuca, De Burcht (Scientific Bureau for the Dutch Trade Union Movement) p.t.debeer@uva.nl or the Head of communications at the ETUI, Mehmet Koksal mkoksal@etui.org. For previous full issues of the Collective bargaining newsletter please visit https://www.etui.org/Newsletters/Collective-bargaining-newsletter or consult the archive with all articles in our database at www.cbnarchive.eu.
You may find further information on the ETUI at www.etui.org.