On September 6, 2021 De Unie held regular consultations with Rabobank. The following topics were on the agenda for this meeting:
- Half-year figures 2021
- Progress of study appointments
- frontier work
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Half-year figures
Rabobank's half-year figures are very positive. Of course we are all happy about that. During the periodic consultations, it was discussed that trade unions note a large difference between Rabobank's estimates in advance and the results achieved. Rabobank was not immediately able to provide a proper explanation in this regard during the periodic consultations.
We will discuss this further in the periodic consultation in October. In front of De Unie it is important to know that we can take Rabobank's financial expectations seriously.
De Unie has asked Rabobank to explain not only to the trade unions but also to the employees how the half-year results relate to the bank's employment conditions policy.
Progress of study appointments
New way of working
This working group will start on September 20, 2021. The working group will investigate which employment conditions will be affected by rabo@anywhere. You can think of the travel allowance, location determination, suitability of functions and home work allowance.
Regulation 80-90-100
This working group does not yet have a start date, we are aiming for the last week of September, first week of October 2021. The working group will investigate the option of investigating an 80-90-100 arrangement. Such a scheme is intended for older employees, and could offer the choice to work 80%, at 90% salary, and with 100% pension. A similar scheme has recently been successfully introduced at several other companies. There is no certainty that Rabobank will do this, only a study has been agreed.
De Unie proposed to also ask the working group to investigate the RVU scheme. This scheme allows employers to provide employees who take early retirement (maximum 3 years) a limited compensation. Rabobank is considering our proposal.
Flex workers
This study group will probably start before the autumn break.
Grow!
It has been agreed in the collective labor agreement to investigate the possibility of decoupling the annual individual salary adjustment from Grow! A working group has been set up to conduct this research. The working group is hard at work.
During the collective labor agreement negotiations, it was discussed that the Grow! philosophy is increasingly being abandoned in practice due to the increasing focus on performance and compliance. Grow! should focus on growth and development of employees. We want to ensure that Grow! performed as originally intended. It is the task of the working group to make proposals to the social partners. Among other things, about the effects of decoupling the annual individual salary adjustment.
Retirement
This working group started a few months ago. Pension is an important subject, it is the most expensive employment condition after your salary. That's why De Unie actively participate in the working group and the progress of the working group is monitored every two weeks for the time being.
The working group is working on a pension solution that is in line with the new pension legislation. However, the new pension legislation has been postponed by one year. The legislator is expected to have this done before January 1, 2023. De Unie has a pension agreement with Rabobank that runs until December 31, 2022. So we now have the challenge of agreeing a new pension scheme, while we are not yet certain about the legislation that will apply when the new pension scheme is to come into effect. This may result in the workgroup having to come up with a bridging solution. But we are not yet at the point where a solution direction can be chosen.
Frontier Workers Scheme
The frontier worker scheme will run until September 30, 2021. From October 1, 2021, frontier workers should again work at least 75% of their working time in the Netherlands in order to continue to fall under Dutch tax legislation. For social legislation, this date is 31 December 2021. This is important for Dutch people who live in Germany or Belgium and are now at risk of falling under a different tax regime because they (have to) work from home. Rabobank has indicated that cross-border workers may come and work at the office.
The government is in consultation with Belgium and Germany to extend the exception rules for frontier workers. Are you a frontier worker? Then keep a close eye on which tax legislation you fall under.
Contact
Do you have any questions regarding this message? Or do you have information that you are using De Unie want to share? Please contact me, representative Inge de Vries. You can reach me by email: inge.de.vries@unie.nl or call me: 06-5252 2091.
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