Unions angry at tiny union that determines the fate of 200,000 temporary workers

Trade unions FNV, CNV Vakmensen and De Unie are pulling out all the stops to prevent a new collective labor agreement for temporary workers. One small trade union is the only one to have made new agreements with employers about a new employment contract for 200,000 temporary workers. The old collective labor agreement would expire today and all kinds of exceptions that apply specifically to temporary workers would therefore expire.

FNV, CNV Vakmensen and De Unie withdrew from the collective labor agreement negotiations last week. They wanted to make agreements about higher wages, in order to narrow the gap between temporary workers and permanent employees. Because no agreement was reached with the employers, the unions wanted the collective labor agreement to expire. As a result, employers would have to hire some temporary workers more quickly and pay certain fees that apply to their sector, such as an end-of-year bonus.

The much smaller trade union LBV remained at the negotiating table and agreed with the employers to extend the wage agreements by four months, without agreeing on improvements for the on-call workers. As a result, the plan of the major unions will not go ahead and the collective labor agreement will continue to apply.

The major trade unions have asked Social Affairs Minister Koolmees to annul the agreement. They also call on employers to withdraw the agreement.

Don’t vote

LBV claims to have several hundred members, which equates to less than 0.5 percent of all temporary workers. FNV says it represents 6 to 7 percent of temporary workers. The hundreds of members of the LBV are not allowed to vote on the extension. “It is a short extension and nothing changes in substance,” says Marco Stavinga of the union. “We want to use the next four months to reach a new agreement and when that is reached we will present it to the members.”

In principle, employers can agree on a collective labor agreement with any trade union, without taking into account the size of the trade union. The conclusion of collective agreements is a source of income for trade unions. They receive compensation from the employers if a collective labor agreement is agreed. Stavinga does not want to say how much LBV has received for this collective labor agreement. “Every trade union receives compensation for concluding collective labor agreements. I will not comment on the amount involved in this case. That is never disclosed.”

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