Upcoming hospitals strike cancelled after deal reached with unions

The Duch hospitals association NVZ and trade unions have come to a collective labor agreement for some 200,000 hospital employees. The hospital strike planned for next month is therefore scrapped, trade union FNV reported.

Hospital workers will receive a retroactive wage increase of 5 percent as of February 1 and another 5 percent on December 1. On June 1 next year, employees with the lowest wages will get another 5 percent bump. People in the higher salary scales will get a 2 percent increase and 180 euros.

The unions and hospitals also made agreements on reducing employees’ workload. The unions still have to present the deal to their members for approval.

Earlier this month, hospital employees went on strike after collective bargaining stalled between the unions and hospitals. On Thursday, March 16, employees of 64 hospitals ran on “Sunday service.” They only provided emergency care, all other care was postponed or canceled.