Trade union FNV is planning a series of strikes to “stop the Dutch economy in its tracks” as it steps up its campaign to ensure workers in physically demanding jobs can retire early.
Union official Piet Rietman said several sectors would stage simultaneous stoppages to press the government to improve its offer to replace the current system when it expires at the end of next year.
At the moment workers can retire up to three years early and claim a monthly payment equivalent to the standard AOW pension if they work in eligible roles, or take a lump sum payment when they stop work.
Police and other workers have already taken industrial action several times since the spring, forcing the cancellation of a number of Eredivisie football matches because of a lack of police cover and the suspension of bus and train services.
But Rietman told AD.nl the next wave of strikes would be a co-ordinated action across sectors such as metallurgy, transport and industry. “The cabinet heard us during the previous round of strikes. Now we want them to feel it too.”
The FNV is unhappy that social affairs minister Eddy van Hijum wants to include a “brake” mechanism that could be activated if more than 15,000 workers take advantage of the early retirement option, to prevent costs spiralling.
Points system
“The proposal is so far removed from what we want that there is no point negotiating,” Rietman said. “The regulations that the cabinet wants is based on fear: their main concern is to make sure too many people don’t use it.”
Rietman said the FNV was in favour of limiting the early retirement scheme to workers in physically intense jobs. One of the criticism of the current plan is that it has been used by office-based workers, such as tax officials.
“If it gets to more than 15,000 people a year the cabinet wants to review the scheme,” Rietman said. “That’s the wrong way round. It should be about what counts as heavy labour, not how many people use it.
“What should we say to somebody whose knees are wrecked but is unlucky enough to have lots of people ahead of him? ‘Sorry, we’ve reached our quota’?”
Van Hijum also wants to set a maximum income limit, which would potentially exclude people such as dock workers on night shifts who are paid extra for working anti-social hours.
Rietman said the FNV favours using a points system to decide who is eligible for early retirement, similar to that adopted by train operator NS. Points would be allocated for factors that affect workers’ physical health such as heavy lifting, irregular hours and night working.
Rietman acknowledged that a new scheme would have to be tightly regulated and balanced against the demands of employers and other workers.
“Companies have personnel shortages,” he said. “And if this ruling is too expensive, the remaining workers will suffer for it because there is less money available for pay rises.”
