The country’s three biggest trade union groups, FNV, CNV and MHP, will not moderate their pay demands in return for a deal on pensions, the Financieele Dagblad reports on Thursday.

Social affairs minister Henk Kamp has already said he sees the unions and employers’ suggestion on how to increase the state pension to 66 as part of a broad ‘social agreement’.
Wage moderation and increasing employment levels among older workers and those with a handicap should be part of that deal, Kamp said.

Pay freeze

In particular, the minister wants wage moderation introduced because civil service pay is being frozen for two years. Kamp hopes this will cut spending by a structural €870m.
The unions have asked for 2011 pay rises in the region of 2%.
‘Kamp must decide whether he is taking over the agreement in its entirety; yes or no,’ Edith Snoey, chairwoman of the FNV-affiliated Abvakabo union told the paper.
Other agreements
‘We will only look into making other agreements once the pension age has been settled,’ said Eddy Haket, of MHP.
The union and employer agreement includes increasing the state pension age to 66 by 2020 and then linking further rises to life expectancy.
News agency ANP reports that Kamp wants unions and employers to discuss with ministers how to make the cabinet’s wishes and the pension agreement dovetail.
Employers
Union and employer leaders ‘cannot simply tell the cabinet ‘this is the deal, now sign here for it to be implemented’,’ Kamp is quoted as saying.
Employers organisations declined to comment, but the FD says there are reports that they support the unions.
‘We are still busy working out the pension agreement and new pension contracts,’ a spokesman told the paper. ‘That has to happen first.’