Netherlands : employers’ alarm bell over low total of concluded collective agreements

In its monthly report, published early May 2014, the general employers’ association AWVN rings the alarm bell over the poor record of concluded agreements in 2014. According to the organisation, this situation is due to the « unrealistic » unions demands. The latter deny this figure but the socio-economic analysts see the quarrel as an indication of a tougher climate and of a deterioration of the industrial relations.
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The trade union confederation FNV had formulated for this round of negotiations a general 3% pay increase demand and, according to the employers’ association, this is creating more and more trouble in the negotiations. From the beginning, AWVN called the trade union demand « unrealistic » and the result so far has been that dozens of collective agreements that expired in 2013 have not been renewed. For instance in the period January -February 2014 only 20 agreements were finalised, substantiall

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