The three main police unions will start taking industrial action if justice minister Ivo Opstelten does not meet their demands for an improved pay deal by midday, according to media reports on Monday.

At first, police officers in Utrecht and Flevoland will stop handing out fines for small traffic offences such as cycling without lights. But more serious action, such as a refusal to police sports events and football matches are also being considered, union leader Geert van de Kamp told news agency Novum.
The main dispute in the pay talks centres on pay and early retirement. The unions want a 3% pay rise, which the minister regards as ‘unrealistic in the present economic climate’.