The fact that Dutch women still earn less than their male counterparts was once again highlighted on International Women’s Day on 8 March 2008 (*NL0702029I* [1]). A report published by the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC [2]) – Global gender pay gap (480Kb PDF) [3] – found that the
On launching the Work and Income according to Labour Capacity Act (/Wet Werk en Inkomen naar Arbeidsvermogen/, WIA) in 2004, the Dutch social partners agreed that more rigorous medical examination criteria for occupationally disabled persons would be compensated by increased efforts on the part of
In April 2008, representatives of the Labour Party (Partij van de Arbeid, PvdA [1]) were due to present an ‘initiative’ legislative proposal to the Dutch House of Representatives (Tweede Kamer der Staten-Generaal [2]) to establish a quota system for the number of women in management positions in the
At the end of March 2008, the Minister of the Interior and Kingdom Relations, Guusje ter Horst, made a final offer in the collective bargaining round to the trade unions representing the country’s police force (NL0802039I [1]). The minister proposed an overall pay increase of about 12% over three
On 15 February 2008, the Social and Economic Council (Sociaal Economische Raad, SER [1]) issued a recommendation on the position of employees in listed companies in the Netherlands. The SER consists of representatives of employer organisations, trade union federations and independent members
February 2008 was preceded by months of negotiation between the police force and the Minister of the Interior and Kingdom Relations, Guusje ter Horst, on the new collective agreement. Both parties have differing views mainly regarding the level of wage increases and term of the collective agreement.
The Dutch Corporate Governance Code Monitoring Committee (/Monitoring Commissie Corporate Governance Code/) – known as the Frijns Committee after its Chair, Jean Frijns –published its third annual report (389Kb PDF) [1] in December 2007. The committee contributes towards shaping policy on top
The Labour Inspectorate (Arbeidsinspectie [1]) of the Ministry of Social Affairs and Employment (Ministerie van Sociale Zaken en Werkgelegenheid, SZW [2]) plans to intensify its controls on irregularities concerning the treatment of Polish workers and those from other central and eastern European
From 2008, young people under the age of 27 years are no longer eligible to receive social security benefits, but must instead work, study or combine the two activities. Up until the end of 2007, young people aged between 18 and 27 years could apply for benefits. At the end of April 2007, some 29
By early November 2007, staff at the Unilever plant in the Netherlands had been on strike for over three weeks, protesting against the company’s reorganisation plans. Over the next three years, it is envisaged that the company’s intended worldwide reorganisation could result in the loss of some 20