Yesterday, Tuesday, January 20, 2026, the fourth and formally final round of negotiations for a new collective labor agreement for the Metal and Technology sector took place. As we announced last week, we expected employers to finally make a wage offer in this round. That offer did indeed arrive, but its entire content has left us as De Unie unpleasantly surprised and gives us serious concerns about the further course of the collective labor agreement negotiations.
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Integrated offer from employers
The employers' delegation presented a comprehensive opening offer with the following key points:
- A term of 24 months, from February 1, 2026 to January 31, 2028.
- A structural wage increase of 2,6% as of May 1, 2026.
- A structural salary increase of €100 gross as of May 1, 2027, which represents approximately 2,6% annually based on the average salary in the sector.
- Phasing out of relief measures, including:
- make the Generation Pact only accessible for heavy work;
- Raising the entry age for senior days to 60, with eligibility extending to the state pension age (AOW). The lower end of the pension age will then shift along with the increase in the AOW age at the upper end.
Employers present this last point as a minor adjustment, but this emphatically cannot be seen as an improvement. In the past, employees could already use this benefit from age 50; currently, it's 55, and with this proposal, it's another five years later.
Our rating
De Unie is disappointed with this proposal. The proposed wage increases remain below inflation and thus lead to a loss of purchasing power. At the same time, important sustainable employability schemes are being dismantled, even though these are precisely the schemes considered so important by our constituents.
Furthermore, the nominal portion (€100 structurally) of the wage increase has a strongly leveling effect. This clearly goes against the expressed wishes of our members. All things considered, we conclude that this offer, which is only being presented after three rounds of negotiations, does not sufficiently reflect the commitment and expectations of employees in the sector.
What now?
Although the offer is low and falls short on substance, we are not ruling out further discussions. If there is genuine room for negotiation in the employers' proposals, we see opportunities for further talks.
However, this does require a clear willingness to make concessions on the part of employers. In the coming days, we will explore whether this flexibility exists. Based on this, we will determine our next steps.
What can you do
You and your colleagues deserve better! Discuss this with your employer and let them know you won't accept it. Forward this message to colleagues who aren't yet members. De Unie and encourage them to join. With more members, we can achieve more!
We will of course keep our members informed of further developments.
Contact
Do you have any questions or would you like to share something with us? Please contact the negotiators. suat.koetloe@unie.nl of peter.werger@unie.nl.
