
On Wednesday 11 December 2024 we had our fourth negotiation day for a new collective labour agreement for Housing Services. In this message we will inform you about the progress of the negotiation day.
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Disappointing course
Today was the day: really making progress on the most important topics for the new collective labor agreement. The main topics would be wages and the generation pact. Of course, we had also made room for the other wishes of the unions and employers. The negotiations were disappointing. We exchanged positions with each other, but we did not really negotiate.
On December 11, we actually discussed three topics: the introduction of starting scales, the generation pact and wages.
Introductory scales
The collective labour agreement now has two entry scales. These entry scales are specifically intended for school leavers and new entrants. These salary scales contain lower wages than the standard salary scales.
The employers want to abolish the entry scales and introduce starting scales. The intention is that the starting scales are not only for school leavers and new entrants, but for every candidate who does not (fully) meet the job requirements of the vacancy that has been posted.
The proposal of employers is that for salary scales from D there will be three salary steps (for salary scale D 2 salary steps) for the starting salary. In other words, a lower starting salary in the relevant salary scale. The candidate who is accepted in a starting scale will be offered a mandatory development path. The goal is for the candidate to progress to the starting salary of the salary scale in a maximum of 3 years (so it can be sooner).
On this topic we have De Unie and her fellow unions received a comprehensive proposal. We have indicated to the employers that we want to study this proposal further. De Unie can still imagine the argumentation of a starting scale. But we find a starting period of 3 years rather long. But there is more in the proposal of employers. As said, we will study that further.
Generation pact
The employers have indicated that they are not enthusiastic about the generation pact. They find it too expensive for too small a group of employees. They do recognize that it is for De Unie and her fellow unions is an important point of negotiation.
The generation pact is indeed intended for a limited number of employees. By making the generation pact structural, it is a working condition that everyone can participate in at a certain point. After all, the young generation of today is the older generation of tomorrow.
In addition, we know from research and our experiences at other negotiating tables that a generation pact has a positive effect on the sustainable employability of older employees. With an 80/90/100 arrangement (or another distribution of percentages) we enable the older employee to reach the finish of his working life fitter.
De Unie and her fellow unions consider an 80/90/100 arrangement an important employment condition. We also consider it balanced, because we have also made proposals for other specific target groups. For example, we want to improve the arrangements for parental leave and those for additional maternity leave.
The employers do not want to make the 80/90/100 arrangement permanent. In addition, they want to increase the entry age from 63 to 64 years and 3 months.
Wage and Generation Pact
The employers have linked their wage offer and the generation pact. They have made us the following choice proposal:
- Scenario A
- A collective labor agreement with a term of 2 years.
- Extension of the generation pact by 3 years.
- A structural wage increase of 1% as of April 2025, 2.
- The 2025 year-end bonus will be increased by 1% to 3%.
- A structural wage increase of 1% as of April 2026, 2.
- The 2026 year-end bonus will be increased by 1% to 4%.
- Scenario B
- A collective labor agreement with a term of 2 years.
- The generation pact is expiring.
- A structural wage increase of 1% as of April 2025, 2,65.
- The 2025 year-end bonus will be increased by 1% to 3%.
- A structural wage increase of 1% as of April 2026, 2,2.
- The 2026 year-end bonus will be increased by 1% to 4%.
In both proposals, the end-of-year bonus will not be pensionable and will not count towards the accrual of holiday pay.
By the way, we had a regular consultation with the pension fund (SPW) on December 10, 2024. It is no longer possible for the pension fund to make the 2025 year-end bonus pensionable from an implementation point of view. If we want to make the year-end bonus pensionable, this will only be possible from 2026.
Employers have indicated that making the end-of-year bonus pensionable will be at the expense of the salary margin. In other words: the salary increase for 2026 will most likely be lower.
The same applies in scenario A for the point of keeping the entry age the same as it is now (63 years). Employers can go along with this, but then the wage offer will most likely go down.
Finally, the employers believe that they have made us a market-conform wage offer.
Our response to the wage offer
De Unie and her fellow unions have a completely different view of a market-conform wage offer. If we compare the wage offer with the wage increases of companies and sectors that we and employers see as a reference group for the Housing Services, then the wage offer of employers is a lot lower. Moreover, it is below the inflation level of 2024 and the expected inflation level for 2025. That means that you would lose purchasing power.
That is of course unacceptable to us. We have focused on improving purchasing power.
The link that employers make between the wage offer and the generation pact presents us with an impossible choice. After all, we believe that a good wage offer and the structural anchoring of the generation pact in the collective labor agreement are both very important subjects. We also believe that employers do not sufficiently include the positive effects of a generation pact in their considerations. A good generation pact ensures lower absenteeism figures, as our experience shows. And therefore lower absenteeism costs for an employer.
We have suspended negotiations
After the three important topics of the fourth day of negotiations had been discussed, we as trade unions took stock.
After four days of negotiations, we have not been able to reach any agreements with employers, except for a few minor points. We are not actually getting any closer to each other on any subject. Moreover, we see on the two main subjects of 11 December – wages and generation pact – that there is a considerable gap between our wishes and what the employers are offering. We also see no starting points in the employers' position and negotiation tactics at this moment that we could get close to each other.
De Unie and her fellow unions therefore want to consult with their members. We want to hear from the employees what they think of how the negotiations have gone so far. But especially what they think of the employers' offer regarding the wage increase and the generation pact.
We have therefore indicated to the employers that we are suspending negotiations indefinitely, so that we can consult with our constituents.
The sequel
The last planned, fifth day of negotiations on 19 December 2024 has been cancelled. After all, we have suspended the negotiations.
In the week of 16 December, we will contact our cadre group to discuss the state of affairs regarding the negotiations and to coordinate how we want to consult our supporters in January 2025.
Do you also want to be a member of the De Unie become? In order to be able to directly participate in the negotiations and other matters that are relevant in the Housing Services sector? Then register as a cadre member with the lobbyist.
After consultation with the cadre group and further coordination with fellow unions about the next steps, we will inform the members via a new newsletter.
Another thing: your pension accrual in 2025
If your gross salary remains the same in January 2025 – for example because you are at the maximum of your scale – your net salary will be slightly lower from January 2025. This is because you will pay more pension premium from January 2025.
From 1 January 2025, the basis on which the pension is calculated will be higher. After all, the 10% collective labour agreement wage increase from 2024 will count towards the pension basis from 2025. So you will build up more pension from 2025.
The premium distribution between employer and employee remains the same. The employer's contribution to the pension premium remains 18,56%. The employee pays 8,44% (the total pension premium is 27%).
In addition, the pensions will be indexed by the SPW pension fund as of 1 January 2025. You have already received a message about this from the pension fund. More information about the indexation can be found on the SPW website.
Questions or remarks?
Do you have questions or comments about this message? Please contact the representative Hans Korver via hans.korver@unie.nl and on 06-5252 2073.