Serious signal but no luck…
Despite the fact that employers indicated that they took the signal from employees seriously, they appeared unwilling to adopt the commitment to maintaining purchasing power. ‘Market-based’ remains the key word for employers. Employers do not want to consider a wage offer in ‘cents and percentages’. And the abolition of the adjustment amount is (again) non-negotiable. This means that both ‘routes’ to provide extra support to the employees most affected by inflation have been blocked by Aedes.
Final offer from employers
At the end of the negotiations, employers made a final offer. With this final offer, employers indicate that they have reached the limit of their mandate. The final offer covers a number of topics. But the most important of these is ‘wage’. This element contains a lot of peripheral provisions and conditions. The conclusion can only be that employers do not offer purchasing power repair and purchasing power maintenance.
Download the complete final offer from employers
Strings attached
‘The sting lies in the combination with an end-of-year bonus,’ says Janneke Waage (collective agreement negotiator of the FNV). “Employers are talking about a 10% increase. But only 8% of this is a salary increase and therefore also counts towards pension accrual and holiday pay. The other 2% will only be added if you currently have nothing extra at corporation level. Where a bonus has already been arranged (and this includes all structural agreements in the financial sphere, not just those at the end of the year), the 2% is ‘settled’.
This is already the case in half of the corporations, so Aedes’ offer is of no use to the staff there. In fact, those employees are ‘punished’ because their corporation has previously decided that it wants to do something extra. If you also have to deal with an adjustment amount, then suddenly only 7% of the 10% of Aedes is left. For comparison: Based on the figures as we know them now, a wage increase of about 13% is required to fully maintain purchasing power….”
The end-of-year bonus is standard in Aedes’ final offer. No new arrangements may be established. And existing schemes may not be phased out during the term of the collective labor agreement (which is one year). The works councils can then fight to maintain their favorable secondary employment conditions.
What now?
Now that there has been a final offer from employers, negotiating no longer makes sense in the short term. The final offer will be discussed this week with the FNV Housing Services Sector Group. Your colleagues from all over the country are represented in it. CNV and Unie are also discussing the final offer this week with their collective labor agreement committee. A follow-up process will be determined based on the position of our executives. Of course we will keep you informed about this!
Watch the vlog that Janneke records during each negotiation round.
Strong together at the collective labor agreement table
A trade union is especially important at this time. It appears again and again that where workers make their voices heard together, better agreements are made. Whether at the NS, the municipalities, at Schiphol or in the ports… togetherness makes the difference!
Make your colleague a member
As an FNV member you know the benefits of membership. Do you also wish that for others? And do you want to contribute to a bigger, stronger FNV? With more influence in your workplace, at the collective labor agreement table, in the Residential Services sector and in The Hague? Then invite your colleagues to become a member NOW! As a thank you, you will receive 10 euros from us!
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Contact
If you have any questions or comments? Please let us know by sending an email to wonendiensten@fnv.nl
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