The first day of negotiations for the new collective labor agreement is over. We presented our proposals on behalf of the members. Unfortunately, the employers have not yet made any proposals. We hope this will not cause any delays.
First of all, I would like to thank you for the many responses I received to the various mailings that we sent in the run-up to the collective labor agreement negotiations. Thanks to your reactions, we have been able to substantiate our proposals well and I feel strengthened at the negotiating table.
The meeting took place in a good atmosphere and that is of course important. It is customary for parties to explain their own proposals during the first round and that is what I have done. I hereby state that our proposals are based on the responses I have received from our members. They therefore provide a good picture of the topics that concern employees.
Unfortunately, the employers have not submitted any proposals. I have indicated that I find this a pity and that the collective labor agreement process is being delayed as a result. Of course I understand that there are many uncertainties, but those uncertainties are also there for you. The employers want to wait for the cabinet plans for the coming year, so after Budget Day we will (I hope) gain insight into the employer's proposals.
De Unie wants to make every effort to have an agreement on the new collective labor agreement before the end of the current collective labor agreement. Didn't we also agree on this in the last collective labor agreement? On that basis, I have called on the employers to submit the letter of proposals as soon as possible, so that we can continue.
We will continue negotiations on 28 September. That is 3 days after Prinsjesdag. I sincerely hope that we will then be able to talk more substantively about the new collective labor agreement and that it will be a constructive consultation. I will of course keep you informed of the progress of the negotiations.
Contact
If you have any questions regarding this message, please contact the advocate Edith Werger via edith.werger@unie.nl or call 06-5252 2054.
