The cabinet’s pledge to re-employ cleaning and catering staff as civil servants is floundering because it is too expensive, the Volkskrant reports on Wednesday.

The paper says the defence ministry is planning to sell off its catering services because of government cuts and 900 members of staff may now lose their jobs.

Ministers said in 2012 they wanted to set an example to others and that ‘flexible workers at the bottom of the jobs market – such as cleaners and catering staff – can be again re-employed’.

MPs plan to raise the issue with housing and government services minister Stef Blok later on Wednesday.

‘Labour wants to make all facility workers civil servants… but now it appears the opposite is happening to catering staff,’ D66 parliamentarian Kees Verhoeven told the Volkskrant. ‘This is illogical and lacks credibility.’

In order to meet the coalition agreement pledge, the defence ministry says catering staff transferred to the private sector should keep their jobs and salaries for five years. The cost will be charged back to the ministry.

The defence ministry catering service is named Paresto and the contract is worth almost €90m a year, the Volkskrant says. Private companies have until next February to bid for the company.