Ministers, union officials and employers representatives meet on Wednesday in their first round-table talks since the failure of plans to reform redundancy payouts.

The annual spring talks will focus on the wishes of the unions and employers for the 2009 budget, which finance minister Wouter Bos will present in September.
Bos’ decision to increase VAT from 19% to 20% in 2009 is also on the agenda for the spring talks. Both unions and employers oppose the move.