Precarious work in the Netherlands National and sector level agreements Jan Verhoeven Trade Union Official of FNV Bondgenoten Food Industry

Precarious work in the Netherlands >One-third of working population on flexible contracts (fixed term or agency) >Six out of ten workers involuntarily flexible contracts >After redundancy, back on flexible contract

Precarious work: poultry example >7,500 employees >One-third on fixed-term or agency contracts >Many Polish workers, etc. >Employers: reduce wage costs because Germany has no minimum wage

1999 Dutch National agreements and Act >Temporary work: maximum of three years or three contracts >The longer people work the more rights they acquire >After six months, company-level pay for agency workers >Goal: make flexible work more secure and finite (prospect of permanent employment)

Problems >Agreements cause increased flexibility and insecurity >Maximum temporary employment term circumvented >Temporary employment agencies evade regulations; bogus constructions >Exploitation of Central and Eastern European workers

Increased flexibility after 1999 >Now, all new workers on flexible contracts >Extended term and number of contracts under collective agreements >Flexibility to save costs >Employment protection and staff reduction programmes circumvented

Maximum flexible term circumvented >By law: maximum of three contracts, three years >Loopholes in the law: longer on flexible contracts >Trade unions extend terms and number of contracts >Permanent employment converted into and implemented as flexible work

Temporary employment agencies - environment >Government permit abolished in 1999 >Unreliable agencies in the market >Dutch Labour Inspectorate checks; also for workers with no residence permits

Temporary employment agencies - position agency workers >Agency workers work longer on same wage >Agency workers remain in low pay scale >Filing complaints is difficult for them >Unhealthy and unsafe work occurs more often

Temporary employment agencies - enforcement and compliance >Monitor agreements between trade unions and employers >‘Collective bargaining police’, 2010: EUR 5 million in wage in arrears (25% more than in 2009) >Certification of agencies for compliance with the law >Compliance with collective agreement continued problem >Agencies with no clear business addresses impossible to trace and deal with.

Exploitation of Polish workers, etc. >Fake employers abroad circumvent regulations in country of employment >Wage frequently incorrect >Excessively high housing and transport prices >More accidents, less respect

Current input by FNV Bondgenoten >Basic aim: not the term but the necessity of temporary work >Permanent job with permanent contract >More permanent jobs and equal pay >Improvement of compliance with collective agreement for agency workers >More social security for temporary workers