In late 2005, the Dutch Trade Union Federation (FNV) and the Dutch Federation of Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (MKB-Nederland) called for the reinstatement of a public maternity benefit scheme for self-employed people. The scheme was abolished in 2004, with the idea being that it could be
Mid-2001 has seen considerable activity in the Netherlands on the issue of supplementary pensions provision. The government is proposing to make supplementary pension schemes, where they exist, "generally applicable" to all employees. In May, the advisory Social and Economic Council (SER) expressed