Weather
Monday: Between 2º and 5º with light snow or sleet. Around zero at night. Similar Tuesday
|
||||
| Home | | | Opinion | | | Features | | | International | | | In Dutch | | | Dictionary | | | What's On | | | Jobs | | | Housing | | | Expats | | | Blogs | | | Books |
|
Weather
Monday: Between 2º and 5º with light snow or sleet. Around zero at night. Similar Tuesday
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Supermarkets discriminate on ageTuesday 02 February 2010 Supermarkets are still widely discriminating against older teenagers whose contracts are not renewed when they reach the age of 18, according to research by the CNV shopworkers union. Many stores prefer to replace 19-year-olds with 15 and 16-year-olds because they earn less, the union says. It blames the supermarket price war for pressuring down wages. In 2006, the equal opportunities commission ordered supermarkets to stop discriminating against older workers but little has changed since then, the union says. The research shows that 75% of staff who are let go after they have had three temporary contracts are replaced by a younger worker. Some 80% of supermarket workers are younger than 23, when the official adult minimum wage kicks in, the union says. And 44% are younger than 19. The minimum wage for a 19-year-old is €34.11 a day, for a 16-year-old €22.41. The union also claims supermarkets are widely breaking rules on call-out contracts, weekend working and sick and holiday pay. © DutchNews.nl
what a difficult problem to solve! (irony)..if they wanted to solve it the MPs could impose a max percentage of employes that are 20 yrs old or less..in this way the supermarkets would have to hire older people also. ...it is not rocket science it is lack of will to solve the problem. By kos | February 2, 2010 9:24 AM Dead on Stefan. Why is it that it seems acceptable in NL that grocery store employees are all over the store, constantly in the way of customers, and typically no courtesy? I see them pushing restock containers through spilled wine, vegetables on the floor oblivious to anything/one around them. It's like walking zombies, except when they take time to chat across the store with their friends. Where's the management or challenges from customers? By Grrrrrr... | February 2, 2010 11:12 AM I suppose the work required to be done is not quite brain surgery. Frankly I don't think most teenagers see a job at the local supermarket as a long-term career. By kalajutu | February 2, 2010 11:28 AM Perhaps now we can understand how companies like AH make huge profits. Get 'em while they're young & cheap & keep the prices high... Don't forget that these kiddie wages are also taxed! No incentive for the guv to change the law on age... By stevie | February 2, 2010 1:02 PM The 3 temporary contracts system is unjust. Industry wanted it and a pliant government gave them what they wanted. At some point in the future there are going to be a lot of disgruntled and cynical young Dutch people who realise that no matter how hard they work they will have no security in the work place. That's when the violence begins. That's when Dutch society will have to pick up the tab bequeathed to it by lousy labour laws. You only have to look at what the dog-eat-dog system in the UK (and in the USA) has produced. By Michael Dawkes | February 2, 2010 1:26 PM Sigh... Look at what is happening with middle aged workers in this country... anyone here read the article on 45+'ers & unemployment last week??? Is it really so shocking to hear it's happening with teenagers? This is where it starts in a society where age discrimination is a popular practice... very simple, the older you are, the more expensive you are, the more likely you're to get canned... By -=meisje=- | February 2, 2010 1:30 PM The practice of age discrimination is not confined to supermarkets or just to those under twenty-three year old's. Despite the laws (weak laws at that) prohibiting age discrimination and the government's desire to push back the retirement age so as to keep Dutch workers in the workforce longer, companies widely discriminate against older employees. The government and the unions need to be more proactive in policing age discrimination and violation of the labor laws. By Buzzer | February 2, 2010 3:51 PM How many jobs did kids have +20 years ago that are now done by adults. Delivering newspapers, cutting lawns, shoveling walkways... Then look at how many jobs went overseas, call any major business and it takes 30 minutes to get a LIVE PERSON who is in Mumbai or New Delhi. By Paul Martin | February 2, 2010 9:00 PM to Michael Dawkes: By Peter | February 3, 2010 8:45 AM Peter...not really. Because the graduate can't get their foot in the door because the older worker on a permanent contract can't get fired (same in Spain apparently). That being said, no contract is secure anymore. I've seen permanent contract holders be laid off here in the past year... By CW | February 3, 2010 9:41 AM Peter permanent contract does not mean necessarily that if u dont do your work correct you should stay there. However to those who do it correctly it gives them stability and a chance to have a family at a proper age without the stress of mortgage etc... By kos | February 3, 2010 10:24 AM Peter, You sound like a boss's man. Who said anything about giving everyone a permanent contract? The practice of 1 temporary contract worked fine. But if after one year a half-decent company can't work out if that the "lazy graduate" is the one to get rid of, then the company needs to take a good look at its managers, its HR policies or personnel or all three. By Michael Dawkes | February 3, 2010 10:36 AM
Comments have been closed for this article. |
| Newsletter | | | RSS | | | Advertising | | | Business services | | | Mobile | | | Friends | | | Contact | | | About us | | | Tell a Friend |
|
This is not really a suprise. Every time I go to my local A.H. there is a bounch of new kids running around having no clue about anything.
By Stefan | February 2, 2010 7:45 AM