The vote on the UWV's final offer resulted in a positive vote. A majority of members indicated they could agree, though it was notable that many of the yes voters were not enthusiastic. Two considerations were frequently raised in the explanations of those in favor.
- The importance of consultation on the social plan
- The pressure exerted on the employees by the employer
Considerations of the proponents
"We must now seize what we can get and if the talks for a new social plan take place and the unions cannot reach an agreement with the UWV, then we must take strong action."
"I think the employer's attitude towards employees is below par. As far as I'm concerned, they should go into the Social Plan negotiations with all their might."
"I vote for us, as employees, to demonstrate that we do not want to let this come to a conflict this time, and to take our social responsibility.
I hereby request the Union to take a strong stance in favour of a good social plan.”
"I can live with this (ultimate) final offer. Not with the UWV's behavior as an employer."
I disagree with the negative attitude of the UWV Supervisory Board during the negotiations on the new collective labor agreement with the unions.
“Under protest because of the inappropriate pressure and deadline from UWV.”
A significant portion of voters voted without an explanation, or indicated that they preferred "something" to "nothing."
Considerations of opponents
A third of voters were against the scheme. These voters were primarily opposed because of the UWV's attitude and behavior.
“I don't think the pressure that UWV is putting on us to push this through is okay.”
“The offer is okay with the short term, but not like this.”
"While I can live with the content, the way the UWV is presenting this is unacceptable to me. I hope the unions will send this message and that this approach, just like what they're trying to do with the social plan, is unacceptable."
What now
As far as the collective labor agreement is concerned, a majority of the members have agreed. De Unie will sign the collective labor agreement. This has already been communicated to the UWV (Employee Insurance Agency). A new meeting with the UWV is scheduled for Wednesday, November 19th. We will then discuss the social plan. De Unie will indicate their willingness to discuss the placement process. The UWV indicates that this part of the social plan makes the plan difficult to implement. De Unie sees no reason to change the other parts of the social plan as well, our members have indicated that they are very satisfied with this. De Unie discuss the planning for the new collective labor agreement negotiations with UWV.
Contact
If you have any questions, please contact our advocate, Inge de Vries. You can do so by sending an email to: inge.de.vries@unie.nl
