On Wednesday, December 15, 2021, we had the fifth round of negotiations for a new collective labor agreement for residential services as of January 1, 2022. The conclusion is that we will not achieve a result before the turn of the year. In this newsletter an explanation of the negotiations and the question what you think about it.
Not receiving our newsletter yet? Then sign up quickly.
Intent and effect
Every round, employers with 'good intentions' present their total package of proposals. I've never heard an employer say the opposite. The trade unions assess the employer proposals not so much on intention as on their effect on current and future employees. The executives present are very helpful and your reaction too!
Salary offer
Employers have made a new wage offer for a two-year collective labor agreement. They offer a structural salary increase of 1% as of July 2022, 2 and a structural salary increase of 1% as of July 2023, 2. In addition, they offer a one-off amount of 400 euros gross in the month of February of 2022 and 2023. Employers charge this as a wage increase of 5,4%.
At first glance, this percentage looks quite nice. If we look at what this means for you, it will look a little less attractive. The 5,4% is in fact a combination of structural and incidental wage increases. An incidental wage increase is a one-off amount. Structurally means every month thereafter from the commencement date and it is the basis for allowances and pension. In their proposal, the 2% will take effect on 1 July 2022. In the first half of 2022 you will therefore not receive anything structural. Approx. 2/3e of all employees are affected by the adjustment amount of approximately 0,9%. Then you fall short of compensating for inflation and thus retaining purchasing power. That is why we do not think this is good enough to agree with.
Young people
Employers intend to increase the influx of young people into the sector. We think that's a good idea too. The sector is aging and the number of young people entering the labor market is decreasing. A good labor market campaign is therefore certainly not an unnecessary luxury. Employers believe they can hire more young people by cutting entry salaries by 9% and freezing new entry fees for five years. Not with the intention of reducing costs, by the way. However, trade unions believe that this proposal has the opposite effect. We believe that employers in this tight labor market should be happy if young people want to enter the sector. We also think that employers are tinkering with the decision in 2017/2018 to abolish the start-up scales. Employers also partly recognize this, but say they do not have that intention. The effect only resembles that and with that, as far as we are concerned, the adjustment amount is back on the table.
Generation pact
Employers have made a total offer that also includes the extension of the generation pact as of 1 January 2022. Employers believe that trade unions must agree to all their proposals and do not want to negotiate parts separately. Because we have made other proposals ourselves about the Generation Pact, entry-level salaries for young people and wages, we are not going along with them.
Response requested
I, representative Emanuel Geurts, am curious what you think of the course of events. Email me at emanuel.geurts@unie.nl or call me on 06-5252 2074. Then I will take your response along to the negotiating rounds to be planned in 2022.
Contact
If you want to respond to this newsletter or want to contact me about a collective matter, you can reach me via emanuel.geurts@unie.nl. For individual advice you can contact my colleagues from the Service Center department on 0345-851 963, by e-mail sc@unie.nl or the chat function www.unie.nl.
[print_link]
