Trade unions have warned that strikes will be inevitable unless the cabinet radically changes its plans to delay the retirement age and restrict unemployment pay.

The major unions FNV, CNV and VCP left a two-hour introductory meeting with ministers after just 45 minutes and cancelled the upcoming spring meeting with the government and employers’ representatives.

Unions are angry about the new centre-right coalition’s plan to speed up the extension of the state pension age – currently 67 – so that it will increase in line with life expectancy. On current projections people in their twenties could have to keep working until 72.

They say the decision breaks the pension agreement reached with employers and unions in 2019, under which the retirement age would increase by eight months for every year that people are expected to live.

Piet Fortuin, chair of the CNV union, said his members would “prepare for action”, which is likely to start with mass protests on the Malieveld in The Hague or Museumplein in Amsterdam, followed by strikes or other industrial action.

FNV leader Dick Koerselman said he had had to persuade hauliers and dock workers not to strike before unions talked to ministers. “Our members are extremely angry,” he said.

The retirement age was the main focal point of a heated debate in parliament last week on the cabinet’s plans. But Rob Jetten managed to secure votes from opposition parties by backing an amendment by two smaller right-wing groups to water down the plans, without specifying how they would change.

The minority cabinet of D66, CDA and VVD only have 66 seats in the lower house, meaning they will need the support of at least 10 opposition MPs for every piece of legislation.

Cold storage

The proposal by Gidi Markuszower’s group of seven MPs which broke away from the far-right PVV calls on the cabinet to be less rigid in tying the retirement age to life expectancy, especially for people in physically demanding jobs.

Koerselman, Fortuin and VCP leader Nic van Holstein told journalists after the meeting that ministers had offered to put their retirement plans into “cold storage” while they held further talks, but unions called for them to be scrapped outright.

“I’m a trained chef, and if you put something into cold storage it stays fresh for a while,” he said. “This should just never come back to the table.”

The unions also want the cabinet to rethink its plans to shorten the term that workers receive unemployment payouts from two years to one, as well as cuts to incapacity benefits.

The government has earmarked €16 billion of cuts to the health and social security budgets to balance the books and fund increased spending on defence and education.

Koerselman said: “Why aren’t they taking that money from the wealthy?” Why aren’t they touching mortgage interest tax relief? Why do the tax rises mainly impact on people who are only just making it to the end of the month?”