Some 300,000 nursing staff are expected to follow the example of police officers and may well be prepared to take industrial action in support of their pay claim, reports Tuesday’s Volkskrant.

The tough stance of police trade unions who have been fighting for higher pay for several months has put pressure on the salary negotiations within the healthcare sector, Elise Merlijn of the AbvaKabo trade union tells the paper. ‘A nurse earns just as little as a police officer,’ she says.
The average starting salary for a nurse is €1,900 before tax rising to €2,560, the paper says.
Meanwhile police unions have suspended plans for further industrial action later this week to return to the negotiating table with the home affairs minister on Tuesday, reports ANP news service.