Netherlands: Ikea introduces paid leave for transgender employees undergoing a gender transition program

Ikea has reached a one-year ‘inclusive’ collective bargaining agreement with the FNV trade union (01 October 2021 – 31 August 2022), which is designed to reduce differences between employees within the company. In it, the Swedish home furniture and furnishings retail chain has notably decided to provide paid leave for transgender people seeking to change gender. These employees will be able to take 24 weeks of leave over a 10-year period for medical and non-medical treatment. Ikea is the first business enterprise in the Netherlands to include such a measure in a collective agreement, according to the FNV. In addition, all employees will receive a salary increase of €0.40 per hour. The company has set itself the goal of ensuring that all 6,000 employees working in the IKEA stores and customer service department in the Netherlands are paid at least €14 per hour within three years. Daniëlle Wiek, head of FNV Handel, said she was satisfied, stressing that people with the lowest incomes “are taking a step towards a decent salary”.