Series of strikes at VDL NedCar, Friesland Campina, and candy factory

Labor unions in the Netherlands have announced several strikes for the next few days, including car factory Nedcar, dairy company FrieslandCampina and candy factory of Perfetti Van Melle.

At the Limburg car factory Nedcar in Born for instance, unions have announced a two-day strike for Monday and Tuesday. They did so after an ultimatum to owner VDL expired. "The anger of the employees is particularly great, the fighting spirit is in full force," said director Ron Peters of the FNV union on Saturday. "People here are angry, very angry," stated CNV negotiator Jeroen Bruinsma. "Even an ultimatum did not get the management at the table. So let's do it this way."

The unions and VDL are at odds over a new social plan for the expected mass layoffs. The contract with BMW for the production of MINIs expires early next year, and VDL has not found a new customer to take over production. This means that most of the 3,800 employees will soon be out of a job.

Even though there is a social plan from a few years ago, the unions consider it insufficient. They are demanding double the amount, i.e. 240 million euros, to be paid out. VDL, however, does not want to go beyond 120 million, with some extras, the unions say. This has led to the failure of negotiations on the social plan last Tuesday. "Unfortunately, the employer doesn't see the need to make new agreements," Bruinsma said. "They don't even want to talk and keep showing us the door, even after a mediation process. This strike was inevitable.”

On Wednesday, a wildcat strike broke out at the factory that lasted two days. On Friday, production resumed, partly due to pressure from the unions, which had not supported the wildcat strike. Nor were they allowed to support it because they first had to go through the procedure that precedes a strike. That begins with the issuance of an ultimatum, which was sent on Thursday and expired on Saturday.

"We tried informally to talk to VDL again, but that failed," said Peters on Saturday. "The parent company of VLD Nedcar does not respond to any calls from the unions. It is an insult to its own employees."

On Saturday, FNV announced the strike for Monday and claimed that Nedcar employees were fed up with the unfair social plan “At least 300 million for the shareholders, but no decent social plan for our own people on the shop floor who lose their jobs. The employees of @VDLNedcar are fed up with it. Monday is on strike!”

https://twitter.com/FNV/status/1654797448760504322

The strike will begin at 10 a.m. on Monday. From then on, strikers can register in café D'n Aezel in Holtum, a village near the factory.

Also, dairy company FrieslandCampina will again face strikes at three locations in the coming days. Earlier this week, a factory in Marum in Groningen came to a standstill due to a trade union action and a strike was held a little further on in Noordwijk. CNV and FNV are continuing their actions to enforce a better wage offer. According to the unions, dairy employers do not want to go beyond an 8 percent increase.

The new series of strikes will begin Saturday night with a 24-hour strike in Steenderen in the Achterhoek region, followed by Borculo on Monday and Meppel on Tuesday. "It will soon be the turn of other dairy companies if the employers do not offer a better collective agreement soon," claimed CNV Vakmensen negotiator Henk Jongsma.

According to CNV, approximately 12,000 people work in the Dutch dairy industry, divided over thirteen employers. In addition to FrieslandCampina, they work for companies such as Arla Foods and Royal A-ware.

Furthermore, employees of the Breda candy factory of Perfetti Van Melle, known for Mentos and other products, will go on strike on Sunday evening. According to trade union FNV, this will be the start of a relay strike in the Dutch confectionery industry.

The union had sent employers in the sector an ultimatum with demands for a substantial wage increase due to high inflation. But that did not generate the desired response. "Our ultimatum was clear. And also logical, because 80 percent of our members do not agree with the employer's final offer. That's why the workers are now letting it be known with actions that they are serious," said FNV executive Eric Brouwer. "There is now only a collective bargaining agreement with other unions, but the largest union in the Netherlands is excluded," he stressed.

According to the trade unionist, about 600 people work at Perfetti Van Melle. He hopes that about 200 will go on strike. That action should then last three days. Brouwer does not yet dare to say what the impact of the strike will be.