Police union contract talks re-start; Labour actions on hold

The police unions and the Ministry of Security and Justice have restarted negotiations for a new collective bargaining agreement for the police after a stalemate that lasted months. The unions have agreed to stop all labor actions during the negotiations. Gerrit van de Kamp, president of union ACP, told the Volkskrant that he is happy for his union members that the negotiations have started up again. He also pointed out that the police has little confidence left. Justice Minister Ard van der Steur's mandate to negotiate must be genuine. The unions rejected the government's previous proposal for a 5 percent wage increase. The called it cigars for their own box because the money used for the increase included money that would otherwise have been used for pensions. The police have been protesting for a better collective bargaining agreement for months. They want higher wages and better working conditions.