Police unions and justice minister David van Weel have reached agreement on an extension of the early retirement scheme for serving officers.

The current set-up, which allows police officers to retire three years before the pensionable age of 67, expires in 2025 and police unions have been taking industrial action in support of their campaign for a new scheme.

The new package now includes police officers born in 1961, who were not covered under the old scheme. They will receive a monthly payment equivalent to the standard state pension in the intervening years.

A deal for police officers born after 1961 has still to be reached.

Police unions are happy with the new scheme and have called off any further industrial action.

“We have  taken an important step forward. I am very proud of all those officers who fought hard for their early retirement. (..) It gives us hope a structural scheme will not be far off,” said Nina Kooiman of police union Nederlandse Politiebond.

Minister David van Weel said it was common sense that police officers in challenging jobs should have the right to retire early. “We have now made sure that the group that threatened to fall between the cracks can now use the scheme,” he said.

The police force is the first sector in which a new agreement on early retirement has been reached.

Unions have announced a new round of co-ordinated action across sectors such as heavy engineering, transport and industry from October 14. They are particularly angry about plans to put a cap of 15,000 on the number of workers who can take early retirement per sector to save money.