Pay negotiations in several sectors are becoming increasingly fraught, with unions threatening strikes as employers resist further wage increases. The stalemate is being driven by concerns from employers that they cannot afford another sharp rise in labour costs after several years of inflation-driven pay hikes. Workers in many sectors have already seen substantial wage increases to offset the loss of purchasing power caused by high inflation in recent years, with wages in some sectors rising by more than 10%. This year, the trade union FNV has called for a 7% wage rise. Recent talks at Dutch Railways (NS) broke down after four months without agreement, and union-led strike action now looms. Industrial action has already taken place in recent months in the motor vehicle and bicycle sectors, while negotiations in the furniture and interior construction industries have also stalled.
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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.