The unemployment benefit systems were established at quite different times in the various European countries. In the new Member States, these systems are a fairly recent phenomenon. In some countries, the role of employees and employers in the system has remained of major importance, while in others
A number of legislative proposals issued in 2001 and 2002 aim to strengthen the position of the general meeting of shareholders in Dutch companies in relation to company management and, in some cases, even the supervisory board. At the same time, the powers of employee representatives will remain
The present government, consisting of the social democratic Labour Party (Partij van de Arbeid, PvdA), the liberal Party for Freedom and Democracy (Vereniging voor Vrijheid en Democratie, VVD) and the social liberalDemocraten 66 (D66), was in 2001 in its last full year in office. General elections
In broad terms, works councils have become a generally accepted phenomenon in the Netherlands, and their role has expanded considerably over the years. At the same time, however, mounting problems have arisen, relating to issues such as a lack of interest in works councils among employees and the
In January 2002, the Netherlands' tripartite Social and Economic Council reached an agreement on the problematic issue of employees who are unable to work on account of illness of disability. The aim is to decrease dramatically the number of employees receiving WAO disability benefit. The agreement
In December 2001, the largest trade union in the Netherlands, Allied Unions (FNV Bondgenoten), announced that it would be undergoing further reorganisation as a result of financial difficulties. Its membership figures are also stagnating, along with those of other unions. Meanwhile, parliamentary
In late October 2001, the Dutch telecommunications group, KPN , announced plans to make 4,800 employees redundant. Following negotiations with trade unions, in November the number of compulsory redundancies was cut to 2,800, with 2,000 older employees to depart voluntarily. In return for the
In November 2001, in the course of the customary 'autumn consultation' between Dutch employers, trade unions and government, the union federations announced their intention to adopt a moderate approach during forthcoming collective bargaining. They are also prepared to accept more sector-specific
One of the goals of the Dutch Working Time Act of 1996 was to transfer decision-making on working time to the enterprise or even plant level. A survey evaluating the effects of the Act, carried out in 2000 and published in 2001, finds that the ability of employee representatives to counter
Several weeks after the attacks on the USA on 11 September 2001, Willem Vermeend, the Dutch Minister for Social Affairs and Employment, invited the social partners to a meeting. The minister elaborated on several scenarios in order to clarify the potential consequences of the events for the Dutch
Debate on the allocation of the surplus reserves of occupational pension funds (NL9812111F [1] and NL9808194F [2]) has continued to rage in 2000 and 2001. It is estimated that approximately NLG 1.5 billion was funnelled back from their pension funds to a number of large companies in 1999. The