On Tuesday, January 16, 2024, we held a members meeting to discuss the draft proposal letter. The meeting was well attended, with many questions asked and valuable input for the draft letter, for which we would like to thank you very much. If you missed the meeting, you can still looking back. In response to the feedback, we have made adjustments and drafted a final proposal letter, which you can view here read. This letter is also shared with employers. The first collective labor agreement negotiation is scheduled for January 29. We will of course keep you informed during the process.
The adjustments in the proposal letter
Wage increase and purchasing power improvement
The subject of wage increases and improvements in purchasing power is of great importance to the members. Numerous questions were asked about this during the webinar. Questions were repeatedly asked about negotiation tactics and the importance of raising the stakes so as not to end up too low at the end of the process. De Unie however, has not chosen this approach. We base our wage demand on a calculation of the inflation correction deficit, with a view to improving purchasing power. People have also asked whether we are catching up on the backlog of recent years. We have taken that into account. We have included the inflation figures and wage figures of the past two years in the calculations. And we looked at expected inflation this year. You can read the specific proposal in the letter.
Kilometer allowance
Several members have indicated that they need compensation based on actual kilometers driven, without a limit on a maximum number of kilometers. This is due to the inability of some people to always travel by public transport and the fact that the mileage allowance for actual kilometers driven is insufficient for the costs incurred. This point has been included in the final proposal letter.
performance management
Many of you have expressed your concerns about the functioning of the performance management system. Even with the current adjustments to the system, it has been indicated that the department has a budget of an average of 3% per employee. You emphasize that the annually determined budget is actually fixed at 3% and that this 3% does not provide sufficient scope for rewarding based on performance. The adjustments of the past year should change this. We will discuss this at the negotiating table and include this in our proposal letter.
End of scale
An explanation of the system we propose has been requested. We propose a system where you receive a one-off payment at the end of the year if you perform well. We propose to do this using the same system and bandwidths as set up in the performance management system. People have also asked why we do not propose run-off periods for the scales. We do not prefer this, given our negative experiences in other collective labor agreements where this is also experienced as a black eye.
Elderly scheme
A scheme to reach retirement age sustainably is a clear wish among the members. We have therefore added a proposal for the 80/90/100 scheme to the final proposal letter. This scheme means that from a certain age you can submit a request to work 80%, with 90% salary and accrue 100% pension.
Training budget
A few questions and comments have been received about the training budget, ranging from it is too high to it is too low. The question was also asked whether the budget can be transferred to colleagues with greater needs. Although the training budget is seen as important by most, we realize that this does not apply to everyone. On the one hand, we find the idea of transferability interesting, but as trade unions we have a clear vision on the continued development of employees, which influences sustainable employability. We have chosen not to make this a topic in this collective labor agreement, because more research is needed.
Diversity
Based on input during the webinar, we are supplementing our proposals in the field of diversity. We want to discuss the employer's flexibility towards employees whose desire to have children is difficult to achieve. Having children does not come naturally to everyone. There are various processes that you can encounter. Think of IVF, adoption, surrogacy processes. We would like to record an agreement about this in the collective labor agreement.
Het proces
During the webinar, it was indicated that they were looking at agreements with comparable organizations and were asked to conduct negotiations vigorously. You expect something from us, and we are committed to making it happen. We emphasize that we are not alone: in addition to Harma Pethke at the negotiating table, Mandy Raaijmakers is also there on behalf of De Unie. But our members determine how strong we are. They are our eyes and ears on the work floor. Keep an eye on our communication during the collective labor agreement process and share with us what is going on in the workplace. The larger our supporters, the more information we collect and the better we can represent the members. You can always share our communication with colleagues.
Is your colleague not yet a member? Then take a look here. New members are entitled to free membership for the first year.
What now?
The first consultation with ABN AMRO about the new collective labor agreement will take place on January 29. After this consultation, we will inform the members again about the progress.
Always be the first to know! Register immediately for our WhatsApp group “De Unie for ABN-AMRO”, we will also keep you directly informed of the latest news in this way. Registering is very easy.
Questions or remarks?
We will keep you informed throughout the entire collective labor agreement process. If you have any questions or comments, you can send them by email to: harma.pethke@unie.nl of mandy.raijmakers@unie.nl
