van het Kaar, Robbert
Social partners react critically to cabinet's tax proposals
27 September 1999
In September 1999, the Dutch government presented proposals for a radical
reform of the tax system, whereby the tax base will be broadened, the tax
burden shifted and higher environmental taxes levied. The social partners
have generally been critical of the plan.
Employment termination requests decline
27 July 1999
The total number of requests to terminate employment contracts declined in
the Netherlands in 1998, according to the Annual Report on termination
statistics, issued in summer 1999. However, the number of requests related to
occupational disability has increased.
Social partners agree framework for individualising terms of employment
27 June 1999
In April 1999, the Dutch social partners reached agreement within the Labour
Foundation on a framework for the further individualisation of terms of
employment. Whilst the essential lines of collective agreements will be
retained under the Foundation's recommendations, certain conditions of
employment may be swapped within a company on a "multiple-choice" basis.
Trade unions file for bankruptcy of company
27 June 1999
Filing for a company's bankruptcy or petitioning for the suspension of
payments usually spells trouble for its workers, but a Dutch case at the
beginning of June 1999 suggests that it can also provide an effective way for
employees and their representatives to bring pressure to bear on their
employer.
Individualised terms and conditions at Unilever
27 June 1999
In May 1999, Unilever signed a new collective agreement with trade unions in
the Netherlands. Starting in 2001, it will allow employees to determine their
own package of terms and conditions, containing individualised elements
within a clearly established framework.
New agreement follows action by local government officers
27 May 1999
At the end of April 1999, local government workers across a number of Dutch
municipalities launched a series of protests in support of their claims in
the bargaining round covering some 180,000 municipal workers (NL9904138N
[1]). On 27 April, public transport workers went out on a 24-hour strike in
Rotterdam and Dordrecht. An injunction issued by the Rotterdam courts banned
workers at the city's sanitation service, Roteb, from beginning strikes
planned to coincide with the Queen's Day (Koninginnendag) celebrations on 30
April and on 1 May. The municipality maintained that piles of uncollected
rubbish would potentially cause problems after the Dutch football finals
scheduled to be played in Rotterdam at that time.
[1] www.eurofound.europa.eu/ef/observatories/eurwork/articles/civil-service-negotiations-three-disputes-and-an-agreement
Social partners respond to collapse of government
27 May 1999
On 19 May 1999, to the surprise of many, the second-term "purple coalition"
government, comprising the Labour Party (PvdA), the Liberal Party (VVD) and
the Liberal Democrats (D66), disbanded. D66 withdrew because it did not
achieve the two-thirds majority required in the First Chamber of parliament
to introduce the use of referenda into the Dutch legislative process. The
vote against the move by VVD senator Hans Wiegel was decisive.
Civil service negotiations: three disputes and an agreement
27 April 1999
Collective bargaining in 1999 for various groups of Dutch civil servants has
been fraught with difficulties. By April, an agreement reached for 118,000
government officials marked the only progress, with deadlock in talks for
local government officers, university employees and employees in the higher
vocational training sector.
Dispute between management and works council in Employment Service
27 March 1999
The central works council of the Dutch Employment Service has withdrawn its
support from management. The move was taken in March 1999, against the
backdrop of an impending reorganisation following a string of earlier
reorganisations.
Banking unions split, construction negotiations deadlocked
27 March 1999
Negotiations are not running smoothly in some sectors during the Netherlands'
1999 bargaining round. One of the trade unions representing banking workers
angered the other unions in the sector by putting the employers' final bid to
its members in March 1999. Meanwhile, negotiations in the construction sector
ground to a halt again, rasing the possibility that the sector could be
without a collective agreement as of 1 April.