Union federations seek to exclude trade union from collective bargaining process

Both the Dutch Trade Union Federation and the Christian Trade Union Federation in the metalworking sector are seeking to exclude their fellow negotiator, the De Unie trade union, from collective bargaining rounds. In particular, the two trade union federations disapprove of De Unie’s concluding collective agreements, to which they themselves cannot agree. Moreover, De Unie’s representativeness is under question in the sectors where it has concluded independent collective labour agreements.

In the metalworking sector, both the Dutch Trade Union Federation (Federatie Nederlandse Vakbeweging, FNV) and the Christian Trade Union Federation (Christelijk Nationaal Vakverbond, CNV) are seeking to exclude their fellow negotiator, the general trade union De Unie, from collective bargaining rounds. In a joint letter, the two confederations requested their De Unie colleagues to refrain from participating in negotiations, because they feel that it is no longer desirable for the trade union to participate in the collective bargaining process in the light engineering industry.

Context

The metalworking and technology sector includes garages, installation companies and metalworking companies. Accounting for some 400,000 employees, it represents the biggest sector in the market. FNV and CNV disapprove of De Unie concluding collective agreements to which they themselves cannot agree. As a union, De Unie mainly caters for middle management. In recent months, De Unie has concluded collective agreements with employers in the commercial childcare sector, the hotel, restaurant and catering industry, the fashion industry and in retail sports trade. The organisation has a limited number of members in these sectors. Both FNV and CNV have refused to sign these collective agreements as they consider them to be inadequate. The trade union federations claim that they want to prevent employees in other sectors from finding themselves in a similar position, whereby De Unie agrees less favourable employment conditions, which both FNV and CNV deem unacceptable, with employers.

Employer position

The Federation of Employers’ Organisations in the Metalworking and Technology Sector (Federatie Werkgeversorganisaties Metaal en Techniek, FWM) is against the proposal to exclude De Unie from participating in collective bargaining negotiations. In their view, they had no part to play in the difficulties between the respective unions; furthermore, they feel they have signed renewed collective agreements with all three unions in recent years, during a time of economic recession. Although the FWM understands that the two trade union confederations are unhappy with De Unie’s recent actions, employers do not want to get involved in the conflict.

Trade union impasse

De Unie does indeed maintain a different position to that of FNV and CNV. The Chair of De Unie, Jacques Teuwen, contends that the two trade union confederations are guilty of trying to arrange too much at a collective level, leaving too few issues to individual, employee choices. He also draws attention to the low level of unionisation in those sectors where De Unie has concluded independent collective agreements. In the hotel, restaurant and catering industry and in the fashion industry, where De Unie has a limited membership base, Mr Teuwen proposes holding employment conditions surveys among its members, to contest the assertion that De Unie is not sufficiently representative of these employees. He also states that the union has no intention of concluding a separate collective agreement in the light engineering sector, in which the three unions have been cooperating with employers for over 30 years.

Meanwhile, the unions are accusing one another of not being properly representative of their members. The issue of ‘representativeness’ is a sensitive one, which has an impact on the legitimacy of unions to negotiate collective agreements and, ultimately, to conclude such agreements. In 2005, the trade union movement lost even more members – a total of 33,000 members, which amounts to 1.7% of the overall membership base. Altogether, the three trade union confederations have a joint membership base of just over 1.86 million members. Almost 65% of these people are members of one of the allied FNV unions, while 18% are members of one of the affiliated CNV unions. The Federation of Managerial and Professional Staff Unions (Vakcentrale voor Middengroepen en Hoger Personeel, MHP) – the umbrella organisation under which the De Unie trade union falls – accounts for some 8.6% of the overall union membership base.

Marianne Grünell, Hugo Sinzheimer Institute (HSI)