Unions and employers in the electrical engineering sector have signed a new pay deal for the 150,000 workers after eight months and several strikes, the Financieele Dagblad said on Friday.

The deal gives workers a 3.5% pay rise, a rise of €58 in July and a further €116 rise in January 2020. ‘This is good news for youngsters and people at the bottom of the pay ladder,’ the FNV union federation said.

In addition, the two sides have agreed that at least 3,000 people employed via staffing agencies should be given a permanent job and that older workers can work less without any impact on their pensions.

The agreement still has to be put to union members for approval. The companies covered by the pay deal include VD, Stork, ASML, Fokker, DAF, Siemens, Scania and Ardagh.