26/09/2011
By Ilonka Oudenampsen
FNV Bondgenoten and Abvakabo FNV, the two biggest Dutch unions, want to independently discuss the elaboration of the pension agreement with Social Affairs minister Henk Kamp, after having denounced their trust in umbrella organisation FNV’s chair Agnes Jongerius.
The two unions, together with smaller union FNV Sport, voted against the pension agreement last Monday and therefore feel that Jongerius is no longer representing them. In a letter to the Ministry of Social Affairs and chair of the employers Bernard Wientjes, the unions have asked the be independently involved in the negotiations that are necessary to turn the agreement into a draft law, so that they can still have some influence.
Abvakabo and FNV Bondgenoten have said they will adhere to the federation in other social themes. Despite the split with FNV, a spokesperson for Bondgenoten told Dutch media that it is not a stab in the back of the chair or the federation.
“The letter can’t have been a surprise. It has been clear for over a week that we no longer feel represented by Jongerius in the pension dossier,” the spokesperson said.
Other stories you may find of interest:
Overview 2011: Dutch pension agreement
On 10 June 2011, the Dutch government and social partners signed a new pension contract, which will see the retirement age rise to 66 by 2020 and to 67 by 2025, while more risk is shifted to the members
Germans require education on pensions – Fidelity
Many Germans are clueless about the build-up of their pension, a new study by Fidelity International has shown. The investment company said that despite all the initiatives to improve people’s pensions knowledge, most employees neither know how high their pension will be nor are they familiar with the three pillar pension system
Industry responds to EIOPA consultation
Pension and investment associations across Europe have expressed different views on what they see as the future of cross-border pension provision, as the European Investment and Occupational Pension Association (EIOPA) closed its consultation on the IORP Directive yesterday
