Talks on a new pay deal for national government civil servants are deadlocked and unions are now looking into the likely support for industrial action, union officials said on Wednesday.

Home affairs minister Piet Hein Donner wants to freeze civil service pay, but the unions are calling for a 2% increase.
The unions also want job guarantees from the minister, who is preparing to slash the size of the civil service as part of government efforts to save €18bn.
No new date has been set for the talks to continue. ‘We have not progressed at all since the first meeting,’ CNV union negotiatior Jorick de Bruin told news agency ANP.
According to the Financieele Dagblad, on Friday union officials will decide whether or not to send an ultimatum to the minister, paving the way for industrial action.