30% of shop workers can't make ends meet; Employees struggling with fuel costs

Workers in the Netherlands struggle with rising home prices, energy bills, food prices, and fuel costs. About 30 percent of shop employees can't make ends meet, according to trade union FNV. And one in five working Netherlands residents worry about the rising fuel and energy prices leaving them with financial problems, Visma Raet found.

FNV surveyed nearly a thousand shop employees. Three quarters said they are dissatisfied with their salaries. And three in ten said they couldn't make ends meet. They want higher wages so they can keep up with the higher costs of living, the trade union said. The majority of shop employees earn minimum wage. 

"Many retail chains complain about a 'staff shortage.' But they consciously maintain that. Shops don't do anything to retain people and make the work attractive. In the survey, the employees clearly let us know what the solution is: higher wages, normal rosters, and more permanent jobs." 

HR company Visma Raet surveyed 1,710 employees in the Netherlands. 18 percent said they fear financial difficulties if their employers do not help them with the rising fuel and energy prices. 16 percent said they'd look for a different job if they didn't get help. "Something employers don't want in a tight labor market," the HR firm said.

Visma Raet suggested that employers help their employees with higher work from home- and travel allowances. Employers can give employees a travel allowance of up to 19 cents per kilometer tax-free. This year, the government also introduced a tax-free work from home allowance of up to 2 euros per day. 

But the rising fuel, food, and energy costs have employees calling for more. 28 percent of workers will work from home more often if their travel allowance isn't increased. And 49 percent of those who receive the work from home allowance say that it isn't enough t cover the costs of coffee and tea, water consumption, and electricity.