Friday 18 October 2019

Recruiters who discriminate face high fines and being named in new plan

Recruiters who discriminate face high fines and being named in new plan

People with ethnic minority roots are still less likely to get a response to their cvs than the native Dutch although discrimination has gone down, according to research for the social affairs ministry. The research coincides with the publication of new draft legislation which would increase the fines for employers who don’t actively tackle discrimination. The researchers placed 707 fake CVs on online CV banks and monitored what reactions they generated from potential employers and recruiters. While there was no... More >

Care workers really free on days off

Care workers really free on days off

The new pay deal for care workers working with people with disabilities includes a clause allowing them to ignore messages and phone calls from work while they are off duty. The FNV trade union, which negotiated the deal, said the clause was a specific request from workers and is the first of its kind in the Netherlands. ‘Many of our members were unhappy about being contacted,’ said negotiator Karim Skalli. ‘This agreement means you are really off on your day... More >

'Agencies should be banned': school heads

'Agencies should be banned': school heads

Half of heads of primary and special needs schools think using commercial agencies to fill vacancies should be banned for being too expensive, a survey by school heads’ association AVS and the Volksrant found. Some 586 heads participated in the survey, most of whom work in primary and special education, the sectors most affected by the current teacher shortage. Schools are increasingly turning to commercial agencies to supply teachers, for both permanent and temporary positions. One in three school heads... More >

More people working into their seventies

old person hands typing at a laptop in close-up

More people working into their seventies

The number of people working beyond their 70th birthday has more than doubled in the last 15 years, latest figures show. In 2018 7.3% of septuagenarians earned an income from working, compared to 3.3% in 2003. More than half (55%) were self-employed sole traders (zzp’ers), a proportion that rises to 69% of over-75s. David van Bodegom, of Leyden Academy, told RTL that the decision of when to pension workers off should take account of their wishes and circumstances. ‘Some people... More >

FNV union membership dips under 1 million

FNV union membership dips under 1 million

The biggest Dutch trade union federation has dipped under one million members, the organisation says on its website, but still claims three times as many members as all the Dutch political parties combined. Some one in five workers are now thought to be members of a trade union, down from one in three in the 1980s. However, just 5% of the under-25s are members. The FNV, however, says it is adding between 2,500 and 5,000 new members a month, most... More >

Competition body on freelance pay

Competition body on freelance pay

Freelancers and the self-employed can make collective agreements about their pay rates to ensure that they have a minimum income, according to a concept position paper by the Dutch competition watchdog ACM. Freelancers are currently banned from agreeing collective fees because this would lead to unfair competition and could lead to higher prices for consumers. ‘We want to ensure markets work well for people and companies,’ ACM chairman Martijn Snoep said. ‘Markets do not work well if freelancers are earning... More >

Discrimination means no council contract

Discrimination means no council contract

Amsterdam officials are investigating if they can legally exclude companies that discriminate against workers from council contracts and will press ahead with using ‘mystery guests’ to check, the Financieele Dagblad reported on Friday. The move, which is part of a plan which will be sent to the councillors this week, is meant to promote diversity and tackle discrimination in the jobs market which, social affairs alderman Rutger Groot Wassink told the FD is ‘rife and hard to eradicate’. Young people... More >

Latest news

More Latest news >

Features

 More features >
19 threats to Dutch democracy? Not from the perspective of a foreigner
ANW, WAO-WIA, heffings and kortings: Here's how to decipher your Dutch pay slip
Sidewalk or stoop? Has your English evolved into Expat Speak?
Dutch destinations: I thought I’d hate the Efteling. I was wrong
A sneak peek inside the Netherlands’ secret celebrity rehab based in Africa
DutchNews podcast – The Talented Mister Stikstof Edition – Week 41
Daily newsletter
SIGN UP