V&D can't force unions into pay cut: Judge

V&D is not allowed to cut the salaries of employees who are members of the unions with 5.8 percent. That was the ruling of the court in the summary proceedings filed by the unions, NOS reports. The court only banned the wage cut for employees who are members of FNV and CNV. V&D is thus still able to reduce the wages of non-union employees. It is not yet clear whether the store will do this. V&D asked for an urgent appeal against this ruling. V&D claimed that the pay cut is necessary to keep the company on its feet. "We won for our members", Niels Suijker of the FNV said, according to the newspaper. "We only asked the judge to also come to the same conclusion on behalf of all employees and he did not do that. The question now is how V&D will deal with this. Will they now make a strange distinction in the salary payments to employees?" According to Suijker, about a quarter of the V&D employees are members of the unions. This measure would have generated about 10 million euros per year for V&D. The consequences of this ruling is as of yet unclear. Earlier the unions indicated that the employees are willing to accept a lower wage cut, in exchange for job guarantees.