GKN Fokker wants new agreements on a social plan, but trade unions and the employer failed to reach a negotiating outcome.
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Employer's final offer
As mentioned earlier, this led to GKN Fokker making a final offer on two occasions. On both occasions, the members of De Unie and the other unions voted by a large majority against GKN Fokker’s final offer for a new social plan.
Actions
Because there was no prospect of movement from GKN Fokker's side, an action plan was the obvious next step. This was to put pressure on the employer to still agree to a better social plan.
On 22 April 2025, De Unie therefore held what is known as a three-quarters meeting. A trade union must hold a three-quarters meeting amongst its members before it is allowed to commence any industrial action at all. At the members’ meeting on 22 April, only two Unie members were present. We therefore did not reach the quorum required to take decisions on possible industrial action.
The other trade unions, however, did receive a mandate from their members to take industrial action. They therefore organised a number of strikes in an attempt to prompt GKN Fokker to take action. De Unie and the VHP2 trade union did not have this mandate from their members, but they did openly support the industrial action.
Negotiation result
The actions have had an effect. We have reached a negotiating result for a new social plan. That contains things we are satisfied with and things we would have preferred to see better. All in all, sufficient to speak of a negotiating result. We are putting this negotiating result to you neutrally.
As usual, our members with a Complete or Extra membership have the final say on the negotiation outcome. The negotiation outcome has been incorporated into a new version of the social plan. You can read this new plan here.
The key points from the negotiation outcome
Compared to GKN Fokker's second final offer, the following has changed in the new version of the social plan:
- The long-service award has been extended.
- The signing-on bonus has been increased.
- The budget for outplacement, training and/or coaching has been increased.
- The budget for legal fees and/or financial advice has been increased.
- The capping of the severance payment when someone is close to their state pension age is limited. Any benefits that an employee receives up to their state pension age are now no longer deducted from the severance payment.
- Following any potential UWV procedure, the employee retains entitlement to the social plan, with the exception of the signing bonus, and the “delay” incurred as a result of the UWV procedure will be deducted from the severance pay.
- Upon reassignment to a role where the salary is higher than the maximum of the lower salary scale: a warm personal allowance (meaning it increases with collective labour agreement [CLA] increases, and counts towards pension accrual and holiday allowance) for 3 years and subsequently a phase-out in accordance with the Metalektro CLA.
- The multiplication factor for the calculation of the severance pay has come out at 1.75.
Votes!
Members with a Complete or Extra membership have received an invitation to vote on this negotiating outcome. This can up to and including Wednesday 28 May at 12:00.
As soon as the outcome of the vote is known, we will inform those involved.
Vragen of opmerkingen?
Do you have any questions or comments? If so, please get in touch with the representative, Hans Korver. He can be contacted on hans.korver@unie.nl and on 06-5252 2073.
