In the spring of 1998, the tripartite advisory Social and Economic Council submitted a report to the Dutch Government about medium- to long-term socio-economic policy. It warned that increasing pressure on the labour market may constitute the most important challenge to the Dutch consultation system
On 10 May 1998, employers and the trade unions in the Dutch healthcare sector reached a new collective agreement. This was made possible after a debate in the Second Chamber of the Dutch Parliament, in which the outgoing Minister of Health offered employers a chance for renegotiation in the autumn
The Prime Minister, Wim Kok, has chosen to act as a mediator in the healthcare collective bargaining dispute (NL9803168N [1]) after several unsuccessful rounds of negotiations between the Minister of Health and healthcare employers. Both the Government and the employers have now agreed to
The Sickness Benefits Act (Ziektewet, ZW) has undergone a process of "privatisation" in recent years, with a new allocation of responsibilities and risks between the Government, employers and employees, and the transfer of the Act's financing and administration from the public to the private sector
In the spring of 1998, the call to lengthen the working week has become more and more vocal in the Netherlands. At the end of 1997, the industrial workers' union affiliated to the Dutch Trade Union Federation (Federatie Nederlandse Vakbeweging, FNV) refrained from demanding another reduction in the
In mid-March 1998, the social partners involved in healthcare in the Netherlands unanimously decided to adopt measures to reduce waiting lists. This marks a serious effort to prevent the development of a two-tier healthcare system and was strongly supported by the Minister of Health, Welfare and
A dispute in the Dutch secondary education sector, which had been brewing for several months, finally erupted into a national "relay" strike in February 1998. The teachers' workload is at the heart of the conflict: the trade unions demand that the number of teaching hours be reduced, while the
In late January 1998, the Dutch social partners reconsidered their jointly agreed position to give priority to employees in the use of healthcare facilities, soon after reaching it, following opposition from some member trade unions of the FNV confederation. The proposal was also rejected, following
December 1997 and January 1998 have seen industrial action in public transport and refuse collection, called by the Dutch civil service trade union, AbvaKabo, in support of wage claims by workers recruited on several job-creation schemes. Amsterdam city council will meet the demands, while the city
At the end of 1997, the First Chamber of the Dutch Parliament rejected a proposal to give employees the legal right to work part time. Employers opposed the bill, while the trade unions were divided on the subject.