Netherlands: employers and unions agree on collective bargaining priorities for coming years

Culture of consensus, sense of anticipation, pragmatism… the polder system isn’t dead.  The evidence?  The Federation of Netherlands Unions (FNV), the Federation of Christian Unions (CNV) and the De Unie executives’ union joined the 850 businesses and 65 institutions represented by the General Association of Employers (Arbeirdsvoorwaardenbeleid, AWVN) to present, on Monday, a joint platform in preparation for the collective agreements that will be negotiated in the coming years.  Faced with demographic ageing, the post-war generation retiring and the workforce shortages approaching, the priorities were clearly laid down: invest into training for everyone (temporary and permanent employees alike), into health and into “durable operationality” (duurzame inzetbaarheid).  The aim is to increase participation on the labor market, in a country where women started working late (in the 1980s), and still mostly work part-time.  The point is also to have workers “who find pleasure at work and are in good health, to work longer.”  Retirement should very gradually be brought from 65 to 67.  It should get to 66 in 2020, in accordance with a bill developed in 2009, but which the new right-wing coalition in power still hasn’t sent to Parliament for ratification.  According to Hans van der Steen, leader of the AWVN, heads of businesses “are increasingly loosing faith in traditional solutions and are seeking creativity with employees for ways to meet the future’s challenges.”  Consultations will be organized on a regular basis to discuss these priorities further, based on concrete examples.  Already, the keywords of the social manifesto are: “innovation atmosphere, knowledge, vitality, flexibility and diversity” and “room for employees’ choice.”