On Wednesday 16 February 2022, we had the sixth round of negotiations for a new Housing Associations collective labour agreement effective from 1 January 2022. In this newsletter, I will discuss pay and the generation pact, feedback from the shop floor, and ask what your opinion is on the negotiations.
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Wage
Employers have made a new pay offer for a two-year collective agreement. They are offering structural pay rises of 2.5% with effect from 1 July 2022 and 2.2% with effect from 1 January 2023. In addition, they are offering a one-off gross payment of 600 euros, payable on a pro rata basis as soon as practicable. Employers do not agree with the trade unions’ proposal for a combination of a percentage and a lump sum, nor with the suggestion to temporarily suspend the adjustment amount. We have therefore made some progress on pay, but the differences between the parties to the collective agreement regarding the level and composition of the offer remain very significant.
Generational Pact
Questions are coming in from employers and employees about the generation pact. We have agreed that if we extend the generation pact, employers will handle employees' applications prior to 1 January 2022 leniently. These applications have not lapsed, but have been parked. Furthermore, the four-month application period will not restart, but will be reduced by the part of the period that had already elapsed in 2021. The remaining application period is (a maximum of) two months. This gives the employer time to make the necessary preparations and arrange for cover.
Employees who have not yet submitted an application but are now 63 years of age or older and wish to participate in the generation pact can submit an application from the moment the collective labour agreement is reached. A shortened application period of two months applies to them, which commences from the moment of (re)submitting their application. The application must be submitted no later than one month after the collective labour agreement is reached.
As long as we are still negotiating, no additional roster-free hours can be purchased from the individual career development budget.
Workplace sounds
Over the past period, the trade unions have collected the responses of employees to (the course of) the negotiations and compiled them into a document entitled: ‘The sound of the work floor’. Naturally with the consent of those involved, uncensored and on condition of anonymity. People from all departments of housing associations give their opinion on the negotiations and particularly the stance of the employers. These collected reactions were handed over to the employer delegation by our committee members present, Nicole, Leo and Niels, with the call to read them and listen to them. The employers thanked the rank and file for their effort, found it to be a wide range of reactions and indicated that they would look at them seriously. We are curious about the employers' next step at the upcoming negotiation round on 16 March. By the way, you are free to share and discuss the document with your colleagues.
What do you think?
I, representative Emanuel Geurts, am curious to hear what you think of how things have gone so far. Please email me at emanuel.geurts@unie.nl Or call me on 06-5252 2074. Then I will take your response back to the negotiations.
Contact
If you wish to respond to this newsletter or make contact regarding a collective issue, you can reach me via emanuel.geurts@unie.nl. For individual advice, please contact my colleagues from the Service Centre department on 0345-851 963, or by email sc@unie.nl or the chat function on www.unie.nl.
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