De Unie consults with NN about the new collective labor agreement. These negotiations are in their final stages. After the negotiations of November 14, 2023, there is still a considerable gap between the position of De Unie on the one hand and from NN on the other. We have achieved success with the promise that the social plan will be continued for current employees, but the adjustment of the travel time criterion could prove to be a significant disadvantage for groups of employees.
Member meeting
In this situation it is necessary to speak to the members and ask for their input. We have chosen to communicate transparently where the parties stand in the negotiations.
That's why . has De Unie We discussed NN's latest offer with the members and we discussed with the members which parts of the proposal letter we have dropped or adjusted to bring a negotiating result closer. In the last consultation, NN made it clear that they are close to the end of their mandate. Our estimate is that we can still negotiate minor commitments.
Dilemmas in negotiations
The webinar was a good opportunity to share dilemmas in collective labor agreements with members. And certainly also to ask the members what consideration they make in the dilemma.
Term of the collective labor agreement
The choice between a one-year or two-year collective labor agreement is one of the most important dilemmas. Both options have potential disadvantages and possible advantages. A small majority of members indicate that they prefer a one-year collective labor agreement. The main reason is that people consider the structural salary increase to be too low and it is being implemented too late in the year. In addition, there is uncertainty about the development of inflation. A slightly smaller group of members is prepared to agree to a two-year collective labor agreement. However, the difference between the two groups is not large.
Inset November 30
A second dilemma concerns the choice of which of the many outstanding points should become the spearhead of the negotiations on November 30. It is important to make a choice, so that we can start from De Unie have a clear message to NN. Here too, the members give a differentiated answer, although the majority of members indicate that they prefer additional financial compensation.
We receive extensive and involved responses from members who note that NN's proposal is not balanced, because attention is paid to employees aged 60 and older (they can benefit from the generation scheme), but that NN does not pay attention to the interests of young people. employees who are often still paid low in their salary scale, while they generally bear high fixed costs that have risen sharply. In the proposal letter from De Unie a proposal has been included for this target group to increase the individual salary increase.
Others note that De Unie it is best to look for an instrument that all employees benefit from. The increase and indexation of the home work allowance and home workplace allowance is most often mentioned as a desired outcome. Because the fiscal space for increasing the homework allowance is not large, we will also have to propose other improvements.
Mandate for negotiators' agreement
The final dilemma concerned the mandate of the negotiators' delegation. This is about whether De Unie can further reduce the wage requirement. If we do not adjust our wage requirement, there will be no agreement in any case. The opinions of the members are also not uniform in this area. Some members find NN's proposal of November 14 acceptable, others think this offer is far too low.
Executive consultation
The executives of De Unie take a decision on the strategy at the last collective labor agreement consultation, taking into account the input from the members.
Contact
Do you have any questions about this message or do you have information that you would like to share? De Unie want to share. Please contact us by sending an email to: inge.de.vries@unie.nl
The next meeting will be on Thursday, November 30, 2023. It has been agreed to work towards an end result on this day. Shortly after this meeting, our members will receive a report of the meeting.
