Efforts on Thursday night to break the impasse over reforming redundancy laws failed to produce a breakthrough, newspapers reported on Friday.

Speaking after the meeting between ministers and senior officials from the three coalition parties, social affairs minister Piet Hein Donner said there is a ‘will to reach a deal’. But Labour (PvdA) MPs, who are totally opposed to Donner’s plans, are less positive, the Volkskrant said.
PvdA parliamentary leader Jacques Tichelaar told the paper that Donner had presented five new proposals which ‘were not enough’ for us. And deputy leader Mariette Hamer told the Volkskrant that Donner’s optimism was his opinion alone.
The PvdA is totally opposed to Donner’s plan to end the involvement of the courts in assessing compulsory redundancies, saying the move would weaken protection for workers. The reforms also include placing limits on golden handshakes of one year’s salary or €100,000 for older workers.