Trade unions condemn retirement rise

By The Holland Times Thu. 12 July 2012

The Netherlands' three major trade union bodies, the Federatie Nederlandse Vakbeweging (FNV), Christelijk Nationaal Vakverbond (CNV) and the Vakcentrale voor Middengroepen en Hoger Personeel (MHP) have spoken out against plans to raise the retirement age to 65, as agreed by the senate on Tuesday night, reports the Financieele Dagblad (FD).
The union organisations are particularly upset that a previously agreed upon pension agreement is now unlikely to remain in place. This was described as a "careful and balanced negotiated agreement" by Jaap Smit, spokesperson for the Christian CNV in an interview with the FD. "Now one of those three parties withdraws from [the agreement], the question is what agreements between the government and social partners are worth?"
The new agreement will see the retirement age raise by a month in 2013, with incremental increases in the years following to bring it to 66 in 2019 and 67 in 2023.

(Photo: Waag Society)

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