Netherlands
Background information on industrial relations in Netherlands
- 08 Dec 2004
Netherlands: Tripartite 'autumn agreement' covers broad social reform agenda<#PDF_LINK>The Dutch government and the social partners concluded a new social agreementon 5 November 2004, against a background of wide-scale trade union protests. The autumn agreementcontains an almost complete socio-economic agenda for the years ahead, covering topical issues such as early retirement and life-span leavearrangements, occupational disability insurance and unemployment insurance. Controversy surrounding wage moderation has also been clarified by the agreement. Commentators see the agreement as reflecting an explicit choice on the part of the government to cooperate with the social partners, following a year of very cool relations.
- 08 Dec 2004
Netherlands: KPN announces further redundancies<#PDF_LINK>In November 2004, the Dutch telecommunications group, KPN , announced 700 compulsory redundancies in its fixed-line telephone services division, adding to 1,550 job losses made earlier in the year in the wake of restructuring. Concerns have been raised by the works council and trade unions.
- 10 Nov 2004
Netherlands: Tripartite agreement follows turbulent autumn<#PDF_LINK>During autumn 2004, Dutch trade unions organised strikes and demonstrations in protest at the government's reform plans in various areas, including early retirement, unemployment benefit, disability insurance and the extension of collective agreements. In November, a social agreementwas signed by the government, unions and employers, which moderates some of the reform plans.
- 03 Nov 2004
Netherlands: Government to deduct dismissal compensation from unemployment benefits<#PDF_LINK>In early September 2004, the Dutch Minister of Social Affairs and Employment announced that, from 2005, compensation awarded to dismissed employees would subsequently be deducted from their unemployment benefits. Following a wave of sharp criticism from trade unions, employers, the opposition and even some parties in the ruling coalition parties, the government decided to tone down the proposals somewhat.
- 05 Oct 2004
Netherlands: Government plans for 2005 meet fierce resistance<#PDF_LINK>On 21 September 2004, the Dutch government presented its plans for the coming year. The proposals have proved controversial, especially those relating to early retirement, occupational disability insurance and compensation for dismissal. Employers are critical and the trade unions have stepped up their campaign against the government’s policy.
- 05 Oct 2004
Netherlands: New law alters works council role in larger companies<#PDF_LINK>A new law on law on supervisory boards in larger companies took effect in the Netherlands on 1 October 2004. This law changes the role of works councils in nominating members of supervisory boards, and has several other implications for the balance of power between shareholders, management and works councils.
- 29 Sep 2004
Netherlands: Occupational pension issues place increasing pressure on industrial relations<#PDF_LINK>Developments in recent years have challenged the Dutch occupational pensions system. Employers and employees are being confronted by rising contributions, eating into the scope for pay increases and placing pressure on collective bargaining. At the same time the absolute power of the social partners in running pension funds is being challenged by pensioners, causing an increasing number of disputes. This article reviews the situation in autumn 2004.
- 29 Sep 2004
Netherlands: Government early retirement plans cause controversy<#PDF_LINK>In summer 2004, the Dutch government announced plans to phase out tax incentives for early retirement and introduce instead a 'life-span leave arrangement', enabling employees to accumulate a proportion of their pay to finance long-term leave for a variety of purposes (eg care duties, training or retiring earlier). Despite a critical response from trade unions, employers and occupational pension funds, the government appears set on pushing through its key proposals.
- 09 Sep 2004
Netherlands: Thematic feature - industrial relations and undeclared work<#PDF_LINK>This article gives a brief overview of the industrial relations aspects of undeclared work in the Netherlands, as of June 2004. It looks at: the nature and extent of undeclared work; the regulatory framework; the role, activities and views of the social partners; and partnerships between social partners and public authorities to tackle undeclared work.
- 07 Sep 2004
Netherlands: Court rules against 40-hour week at Smead<#PDF_LINK>In August 2004, a court ruled against a plan by Smead Europe, the Dutch subsidiary of a US-owned office supplies group, to increase weekly working hours from 36 or 38 to 40 at two plants, with no increase in pay. According to the court, such an extension would contravene the applicable sectoral collective agreement.
- 07 Sep 2004
Netherlands: Unions launch protest action against government policy<#PDF_LINK>In August 2004, the Netherlands' three main trade union federations launched a programme of protest action against government policy on a variety of issues, notably early retirement and lifelong leave arrangements. The planned action includes a strike on 21 September.
- 31 Aug 2004
Netherlands: Employers and government propose industrial relations reform<#PDF_LINK>In July 2004, the Dutch government and the VNO-NCW employers' confederation published separate documents calling for a variety of changes to current employment law and industrial relations practices, aimed at improved economic growth and competitiveness. The proposals cover areas such as pay trends, minimum wages, the extension of collective agreements, employee invovlement, working time and social security. While the government and employers have similar views on numerous points, their emphasis differs in some areas. Reactions from the trade union movement to the proposals have been very critical.
- 12 Aug 2004
Netherlands: Minister calls for simplified Working Conditions Act<#PDF_LINK>In June 2004, Mark Rutte, the state secretary at the Dutch Ministry of Social Affairs and Employment, called for the number of health and safety regulations in the Working Conditions Act to be halved. Recent research has indicated that a large proportion of employers fail to comply with the Act's rules in areas such as assessing and addressing workplace risks.
- 12 Aug 2004
Netherlands: Unions threaten legal action against 40-hour week at Smead<#PDF_LINK>Smead Europe, the Dutch subsidiary of a US-owned office supplies group, is due to introduce a 40-hour week at two plants in August 2004 in order to tackle rising costs. Employees at the sites currently work 36 or 38 hours a week and will receive no pay increases for the extension of their working time. A survey of the plants' workforce found majority support for the move. However, trade unions have threatened to take legal action against Smead Europe if it goes ahead with the change, claiming that it breaches sectoral collective agreements.
- 04 Aug 2004
Netherlands: Changes ahead in employee involvement legislation<#PDF_LINK>In June 2004, the Dutch government announced that works councils legislation was to be made more flexible and issued proposals for reform, on which the social partners disagree. Changes are also to be made to the rules giving works councils influence over the appointment of members of company supervisory boards. Meanwhile, parliament is debating legislation to implement EU Directives on information and consultation and on employee involvement in the European Company Statute.
- 30 Jul 2004
Netherlands: Report examines current developments in collective agreements<#PDF_LINK>In June 2004, the Dutch Labour Inspectorate published its spring report on collective agreements. The report focuses on a number of issues that are currently highly topical in debate between the government and social partners. It finds that wage increases have fallen away sharply in 2004, while the number of collective agreements containing provisions on flexible remuneration, flexible pensions, reintegration measures for partly disabled employees and employability has increased over recent years.
- 08 Jul 2004
Netherlands: Thematic feature - individual labour/employment disputes and the courts<#PDF_LINK>This article examines how individual labour/employment disputes are handled through the courts in the Netherlands, as at March 2004.
- 07 Jul 2004
Netherlands: Atypical labour relations face stricter regulation in 2003<#PDF_LINK>Atypical labour relations came under stricter regulation in 2003. Policy focused increasingly on creating more clarity. The criteria have been tightened for self-employed persons without staff, discerning them from employees. This distinction is significant with respect to gaining access to employed persons insurance schemes. In 2004, the Disability Insurance (Self-employed Persons) Act (Wet op de Arbeidsongeschiktheid van Zelfstandigen - WAZ) will be scrapped. Illegal employment is being clamped down on: policy focuses on stamping out illegal temping agencies and imposing sanctions on employers who hire in illegal workers. After all, temporary employees were taken up in a new collective labour agreement in 2003, clarifying aspects such as salary levels. From now on, temporary employee salaries are on the same level as those paid out by the hiring party; higher salaries were agreed in exchange for flexibility.
- 07 Jul 2004
Netherlands: Industrial action and end to pay freeze loom following early retirement deadlock<#PDF_LINK>June 2004 saw the breakdown of tripartite talks in the Netherlands over new arrangements for early retirement and a life-span regulation, enabling workers greater scope to save and manage periods of time off over their careers. With the government now intending to continue with its own plans, the trade unions have decided to organise industrial action in support of their position. Furthermore, as the 2004-5 pay freeze agreed in autumn 2003 was dependent on a settlement of the early retirement/leave issue, the unions have stated that they will no longer be bound by it.
- 06 Jul 2004
Netherlands: Debate over policy on older workers<#PDF_LINK>New legislation banning age discrimination came into force in the Netherlands in May 2004. The law could help achieve the government's aim of increasing labour market participation among older workers, but there have been some reports of companies responding by abolishing protective measures for older workers. Employers' organisations and trade unions support the government's policy of enabling people to continue working for longer, but in practice employers and unions still often seem to act in a way that contradicts this objective (eg through introducing early retirement or dismissing older workers).
- 02 Jul 2004
Netherlands: Controversy over early retirement and life-span leave<#PDF_LINK>In autumn 2003, as part of a deal that included a pay freeze for 2004-5, the Dutch government and social partners agreed to talks over the former's proposals for new arrangements for early retirement and a life-span regulation, enabling workers greater scope to save and manage periods of time off over their careers. Consensus over such a scheme was regarded as a prerequisite for maintaining the pay freeze. However, after lengthy and difficult negotiations, no agreement was reached at a tripartite meeting on 18 May 2004. A key sticking point is the extent to which early retirement leave arrangements should be collective or individual.
- 22 Jun 2004
Netherlands: Minister wants age balance to play greater role in redundancy selection<#PDF_LINK>In May 2004, the Dutch Minister of Social Affairs proposed changes to the statutory rules on selection for redundancy, with less emphasis on the last in, first outseniority-based principle and a greater focus on distributing the redundancies between employees of different ages. The social partners have given the idea a mixed reception.
- 15 Jun 2004
Netherlands: 2003 Annual Review for the Netherlands<#PDF_LINK>This record reviews 2003's main industrial relations developments in the Netherlands.
- 04 Jun 2004
Netherlands: Employees' rights and position in bankruptcies - latest developments<#PDF_LINK>The number of bankruptcies declared in the Netherlands reached a record high in 2003, and questions have been raised in parliament over the potential misuse of bankruptcies to the detriment of creditors and employees. This article looks at recent developments in legislation and case law on employees' rights and position in the event of their employer's bankruptcy.
- 12 May 2004
Netherlands: KLM senior managers forgo controversial bonuses<#PDF_LINK>In April 2004, the members of the management board of KLM waived bonuses offered to them in the run-up to the Dutch airline's merger with Air France, under pressure from trade unions and the government. During the current agreed national wage freeze, increases in senior management remuneration are controversial, with the VNO-NCW employers' organisation joining the unions in supporting top pay moderation and the government taking the first steps towards regulation.
- 01 May 2004
Netherlands: Government proposes simplification of working time legislation<#PDF_LINK>As part of a broader process of deregulation, in December 2003 the Dutch government issued proposals to simplify the Working Hours Act, which have been subject to considerable debate in the early months of 2004. Meanwhile, the European Commission is consulting on a possible revision of the EU working time Directive, including possible changes to reflect European Court of Justice rulings that periods of inactivity during time spent on call should be counted as working time. The Dutch government will be including the plans for revision of the Directive in its own legislative proposals, and has also responded to the European Commission's consultations. The social partners are divided over the government’s plans.
- 08 Apr 2004
Netherlands: Social partners critical of government disability benefit plans<#PDF_LINK>Plans to reform the Occupational Disability Insurance Act (WAO), announced by the Dutch government in March 2004, have been criticised by the social partners, as the proposals differ on a number of points from recommendations made by the tripartite Social and Economic Council.
- 31 Mar 2004
Netherlands: Most employers positive about extension of collective agreements<#PDF_LINK>Research published in December 2003 finds that most Dutch employers favour the extension of sector-wide collective agreements (ie to cover non-signatory employers within the sector). However, a sizeable minority would expect benefits from switching over to company-level collective agreements. Recently, a growing number of employers seem to be seeking actively to escape their obligations arising from extended sectoral collective agreements, by signing separate agreements with non-mainstream trade unions.
- 31 Mar 2004
Netherlands: Bargaining under the central wage freeze<#PDF_LINK>A central tripartite agreement signed in the Netherlands in autumn 2003 imposes a pay freeze for 2004. This agreement is casting a shadow over the 2004 collective bargaining round, and trade unions are seeking to test the limits of the wage freeze. This article looks at developments in the bargaining round up to March 2004,
- 09 Mar 2004
Netherlands: SER proposes new system of occupational health services<#PDF_LINK>In February 2004, the Netherlands' tripartite Social and Economic Council (SER) issued an opinion, recommending a new system of organising occupation health services in companies. It proposes allowing companies to opt out of using external services, by agreement with trade unions or employee representatives.
- 04 Mar 2004
Netherlands: Health and safety effect of worker participation examined<#PDF_LINK>A study published in late 2003 finds that the presence and effective operation of works councils has positive effects on working conditions in Dutch organisations. This article highlights the main findings of the research into the occupational health and safety impact of worker participation.
- 02 Mar 2004
Netherlands: Minimum wage trends examined<#PDF_LINK>The Dutch government has announced that the statutory minimum wage will not be increased in 2004, following agreement with the social partners on a general pay freeze. This article examines the government decision, as well as looking at related issues such as the effects on social security benefits, minimum wage rates for young people, compliance and the relationship between the statutory minimum wage and the minimum wages specified in collective agreements.
- 07 Jan 2004
Netherlands: Law on promotion of minority employment to be scrapped<#PDF_LINK>The Dutch Employment of Minorities (Promotion) Act, which seeks to promote equal representation of people from ethnic minorities in the workforce, expires on 1 January 2004 and the government does not plan to prolong it. This decision has been supported by employers, but trade unions and the political opposition want to retain some or all of its provisions. The decision to scrap the Act comes at a time when latest figures indicate that the labour market position of people of foreign nationality or extraction may be starting to worsen, following earlier progress. Meanwhile, there has been a debate in late 2003 over the policy to adopt towards labour migration from new Member States joining the EU in 2004.