The country’s biggest trade union federation FNV is demanding a minimum 2.5% salary rise for all workers next year with bonuses and extra one-off payments in more profitable sectors.

As well as higher pay, the FNV wants more training, better pension schemes for part-time and freelance workers and more job security. In total its starting point for the upcoming negotiations with employers is an increase of 3% for its members.
Announcing its negotiating position yesterday, FNV chairman Henk van der Kolk told the Financieele Dagblad that while he would be happy with a 2.5% pay rise in the retail industry, he expects growth sectors such as ICT, banks and insurance to make higher rewards to employees via profit sharing schemes or extra one-off payments. ‘We expect employers will want to stick to a 1.5% pay rise in line with inflation but we say, sorry that’s not good enough’, Van der Kolk told the paper.
The employers association VNO-NCW has already said that it wants structural increases to be limited to 50% of annual pay rises with the remainder dependent on company results and in the form of one-off bonuses. The second biggest trade union federation CNV is also pushing for a 2.5% pay rise but its total target for pay and conditions is 4% following the recent announcement that economic growth this year is expected to reach 3.25%.