An independent trade union aimed at young workers and freelancers was set up in the Netherlands in October 2005. The new Alternative Trade Union (AVV) is critical of employers and the existing trade unions, claiming they take into account only the interests of older workers and neglect the interests
During 2005, collective agreements for one million government employees are being negotiated under pressure for better performance at a lower cost. The biggest cutbacks relate to staff costs: many civil servants leave on the basis of early retirement schemes. Early retirement schemes are likewise
The Dutch social partners are extremely critical of the government’s budget for 2006, presented at the opening of parliament in September 2005. The government had promised that 2006 would be a year of reaping the rewards of previous efforts. Instead it appears that employers and employees will again
Employees at Avebe, the potato starch group in the Netherlands, came out on strike on 20 September. They are striking in protest against the intended dismissal of 400 colleagues. The board of management of the company, a company which has been affected by reorganisation for some time, asserts that
Collective bargaining rounds initiated since the social agreement with government after winter 2004 are under downwards pressure. The unions are attempting to repair the negative impact of this agreement for employees in collective agreements. Employers find themselves compelled to look for the most
In July 2005, the Dutch government accepted a recommendation from the tripartite Social and Economic Council (SER) on reform of the Working Conditions Act. This involves giving the social partners greater responsibility in the implementation of health and safety at work and cutting the number of
The 2004 autumn agreement between government and the social partners was hammered out with great difficulty. Following arduous negotiations, government and the social partners finally reached accord on wage moderation, the Occupational Disability Insurance Act (WAO), life-cycle leave arrangements
There were no elections in 2004 and none are expected in 2005. After the January 2003 elections, a coalition government was formed. It consisted of three parties, the Christian Democratic Appeal (Christen Democratisch Appel, CDA) with 44 seats in the Lower House of parliament, the liberal Party for
The relocation of production to Eastern Europe, India and China increased further in 2004. Philips, DSM, Viasytems and Océ are but a few of the companies to have hived off jobs and locations over the last year to relaunch or expand operations elsewhere in a number of cases. In the wake of increasing
A government-commissioned report published in late 2004 finds that the process of achieving gender equality in the Netherlands is falling short of objectives set by the government. Growth in women's labour market participation is lagging behind the targets set; despite being educated to a higher