Unions walk out of talks with ministers on social security cuts

The Netherlands’ two biggest trade union federations, the FNV and CNV, said on Thursday they will press ahead with industrial action against government cuts, despite ministers’ decision to scrap controversial changes to the state pension AOW.

The cabinet said earlier this week that it would not press ahead with plans to increase the state pension age more quickly, and that it was willing to talk to the unions about alternatives to cuts to unemployment and invalidity benefits.

However, ministers said they wanted the unions to come with their own ideas on how to keep the government’s finances healthy.

The unions said after talks at the prime minister’s official residence on Thursday that they would not talk to the cabinet as long as ministers refuse to halt the planned changes to social security benefits as well.

Those involve a cut the maximum term for unemployment pay from two years to one and a cut the long-term incapacity benefit WIA payments.

A public transport strike planned for the early morning on June 24 will now go ahead, the unions said.

Prime minister Rob Jetten said he was disappointed that the talks had broken down. “Our door is always open,” he said. In the meantime, he said, the government will press ahead with the social security reforms.

Coen van Oostrum, leader of the biggest employers’ organisation also came out against the state pension changes, telling the Telegraaf last week there are more important issues for the government to tackle.

However, he told the Volkskrant on Thursday that he felt the unions should have stayed at the negotiating table. “We think there were enough points of common interest,” he said.