Protracted local wage negotiations increase uncertainty about wages, which are expected to have risen by 3.7% in April 2023. All wage earners have not yet been affected by the new mark, but the pace of wage increases will shift up, according to the Mediation Institute (Medlingsinstitutet). The element of retroactive pay is usually large when new central agreements are signed, but this year it appears to be particularly protracted negotiations locally. The centrally agreed wages increased by approximately 3.2% during April compared to the same month last year, which is a clear increase compared to March when the annual rate for centrally agreed wages amounted to 2%. Real wages, i.e. wages adjusted for inflation, decreased by 3.9% compared to 2022 if the effects of rising mortgage rates are excluded from the consumer price index. If interest rate effects are included, real wages fell by 6.8%.
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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.