Unions oppose a reform the Government is preparing that would allow the 38-hour full-time working week to be calculated as an annual average, rather than per week. This means workers could be required to work longer hours during busy periods—without receiving overtime pay—as long as their total hours average out to 38 per week over the year. The proposal is intended to give employers more flexibility in organising work schedules. However, unions warn that it would effectively eliminate paid overtime and undermine workers’ rest time, income security, and ability to plan their lives.
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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.