V&D, unions make progress in latest talks

Unions FNV and CNV and the management of V&D had an hours long discussion regarding the eventual wage moderation for the store's employees, NU reports. According to the unions, the discussion was constructive. An agreement was made that V&D would first consult with 5 thousand employees before discussing the negotiations on possible wage measures with the unions. "We explored how we can proceed", Marijn den Heijer of CNV told the newspaper. "But first something must be done about the lack of understanding about wage moderation among the staff." According to Niels Suijker of FNV, the trust between the staff and management as to be repaired first. "Then we can talk. We have always been willing to negotiate wage moderation" V&D initiatially wanted to unilaterally implement a pay cut of 5.8 percent, but that was stopped by the court in a unions initiated lawsuit.