Minister Lodewijk Asscher of Social Affairs feels there is nothing to intervene in the collective labor agreements (collective agreements) which have concluded employers and trade unions. Inter alia, VVD and D66 call him to explain not universally applicable in some collective agreements for a whole sector, but according Asscher is a horse agent “and a” form of expropriation. ”
That turned out Thursday at a debate in Parliament on the future of the collective agreements. Governing party VVD disturbed for some time to collective agreement provisions which grant extra days off older workers, for example, and make them more expensive and therefore unattractive. Also get sick employees in some collective agreements in addition to the statutory wage payment of 140% in two years, even once paid extra wages. According to MP Anne Mulder make this statutory sickness benefits companies reluctant to offer their staff a permanent job.
Modernizing
also D66 MP Steven Van Weyenberg find the time that collective agreements be modernized. According to him, the number of collective agreements in which additional employment promotion measures for the elderly are included, in the past decade only marginally decreased from 75% to 71% still. In addition, employers and unions agreed that over 85% of the controlled by them and merely allowed to train on the CLA-funded training funds for the private sector. D66 believes that this should change soon, now that the crisis and the robot number of job losses in one sector, while other sectors are desperate for staff.
Asscher recognizes the concerns of Van Weyenberg and says he has been subject some time talking with employers and trade unions. There’s according Asscher own words “finally” hit the intersectoral training, a topic on which politicians in The Hague for years but talks so far remained mainly fine words. The Labour Minister suggests that sectors such as construction and engineering is now working on joint training programs. Construction workers have lost their jobs en masse in recent years by the crisis, while at the same time a severe shortage of technically trained professionals.
Doing business with ‘mini bondjes
Daarnaast Asscher also talks have been working with the social partners on the need to reform collective agreements. He sees that collective agreements often are concluded by sector, while in practice there is a need for collective agreements by region. Employees can then easily change employer in a given region, for example, if one company has temporarily more jobs than others.
Also according Asscher ‘heady rise “of freelancers and other flexible workers who are often not covered by the collective agreement and the threat of hollowing, asking for changes. He also points out that the collective bargaining sometimes dictate the big companies the agreements in a sector, while the smaller entrepreneurs failed to recognize.
Also, unions in some sectors which they negotiate, hardly members. In other sectors, including retail, staffing industry and supermarkets, employers evade precisely the larger, often more radical unions and they prefer to do business with ‘minibondjes’, something Asscher also called ‘dangerous’.
Contract and negotiation freedom
Despite all these challenges Asscher refuses his power means collective agreements can not be explained more generally applicable to an entire industry, as ‘big stick’ to put on his consultations with the social partners. Even if they agree on issues that are at odds with government policy. Employers and unions have a clear under international treaties’ contract and negotiating freedom. The PvdA minister currently leaves it investigate whether there are sufficient opportunities for businesses to get dispensation declared a general collective agreement linked and apply more customization
Asscher says glad to be not on the entire Lower House will of the collective agreement itself. “The importance is indisputable and undisputed here: the collective agreement ensures labor peace, a balanced wage, decent working conditions and a level playing field.”
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