On October 7, 2025, the second round of negotiations for the Publishing Industry collective labor agreement took place. De Unie, the other trade unions, and representatives of the publishers and HR management of the Publishers' Association (WU).
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During this round we discussed the following topics:
- Maternity and parental leave
- Additional hours for part-timers
- XYZ scheme
- Taboo surrounding menstruation and menopause
Maternity and parental leave
De Unie proposed to supplement current legal arrangements so that employees are better supported during this important phase of life.
The employers currently see no reason for this and consider the legal provisions sufficient. De Unie This is a missed opportunity. A modern collective labor agreement is essential for a sector that wants to be attractive to young talent. Therefore, we believe this topic will remain on the table.
XYZ scheme
Employers want to abolish the XYZ scheme, due to cost and feasibility. They point to the 80/90/100 scheme as an alternative. De Unie doesn't consider this a full-fledged replacement. The XYZ scheme offers other options and flexibility for employees in different stages of life. We will raise this point again in the next round.
Overtime and additional hours
A ruling by the Court of Justice requires amendments to Article 4.10. This concerns the way overtime is paid for part-time employees. Employers want to use this amendment to revise the entire regulations regarding overtime and additional hours. They are considering a system in which extra hours are first saved in a kind of "time bank."
De Unie believes that overtime and additional hours should be fairly compensated, and that there should be room for a supplement. We also discussed the broader issue of work culture in the sector: it still happens too often that employees structurally work more than stipulated in the contract, without adequate compensation. Employers recognize this to some extent, but real steps must be taken in this area.
Wage development
A concrete wage offer was not forthcoming during this round. Employers indicate that financial leeway is limited, but have promised to provide more clarity on this during the third round of negotiations on October 21st.
Continuation
The next round of negotiations will take place on October 21, 2025. After that, we will inform you again about the progress.
Do you have a question or would you like to share something? Let advocate Gerard van der Lit know via gerard.van.der.lit@unie.nl.
