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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 economical solutions in the face of economic downturn. The social partners themselves acknowledge that there is little room for any real rejuvenation in the collective agreements.
Collective bargaining rounds initiated since the social agreement with government after winter 2004 are under pressure. The unions are attempting to repair the negative impact of the agreement for employees in collective agreements. Aside from pursuing a policy of wage moderation backed by all parties, the unions are keen to repair early retirement arrangements and the level of payment during the second year of illness (NL0507101F).
Taking account of the dwindling economy, employers are focusing on cutting back as far as possible in collective agreements. Turnover is shrinking in the retail trade; the drop in May this year totalled almost 5%. Fashion stores unilaterally scrapped the 35-hour working week for new employees and introduced a 38-hour working week instead. Because most of the staff members work part time, this will boil down to a salary reduction of 8% an hour. The old collective labour agreement has expired and the respective parties have failed to reach agreement on a new one. The old agreement continues to remain in force for the current workforce, but nothing has been put in place for new employees. As a consequence of the unilateral steps undertaken by employers, the trade unions are initiating industrial action and have refused to take their place at the collective bargaining table.
Downwards pressure can be observed on the collective bargaining rounds in the hotel, restaurant and catering industry too. New employees in this sector are having to contend with worsening terms and conditions of employment. There will not be a bonus on the first 208 hours of overtime a year, and there will be fewer weekends off, payments in the case of illness have been reduced and the youth will be expected to work for a longer period of time at the minimum wage. A collective agreement has been reached to this end with union the union De Unie that has a membership base of 500 in the sector. The FNV Horecabond union in the same sector, which represents 21,000 members, has not given the agreement its stamp of approval in conveying its contents to the membership base.
The social partners are both dealing with the consequences of the social agreement reached with cabinet. Wage increases must be kept to a minimum, working hours must be extended for less pay and early retirement arrangements must consist of fewer years at a higher premium, and benefits in the event of illness have been lowered by cabinet. Employers note that little room has been left in collective bargaining for attention to be paid to matters such as working smarter and greater job satisfaction and involvement, for which purpose they established the Social Innovation Knowledge Centre. The unions also point out that new subjects have not been sufficiently elaborated: concepts such as less job security but more employment security should be fleshed out properly. The requirement of having to work longer should also go hand in hand with supportive policy covering aspects such as training and education and employability - for older employees too. The 2005 collective bargaining rounds are paying insufficient attention to future issues such as these.
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