Eredivisie matches again without police due to early retirement scheme protests

The two Eredivisie matches Almere City FC-PSV and FC Groningen-AZ, will be played this weekend without police on site. It is the second weekend in a row that the four police unions are campaigning for a structural early retirement scheme for police officers.

During the football matches, the police unions will hold a special union meeting one hour before kick-off, ending one hour after the final whistle. They have already done this for the matches FC Twente-Sparta in Enschede and NAC-Ajax in Breda. Both matches passed off without any major incidents.

The trade unions have been campaigning for a structural early retirement scheme for police officers since this spring. It allows police officers to stop working three years before their state pension age. The current scheme expires at the end of 2025.

However, the unions want a permanent arrangement. "The fact that police work is hard work is unfortunately too often evident at football matches," the four unions stated in a press release.

The police unions called on the government to support the union's demand for a better early retirement plan. "The government must take explicit and visible steps to make early retirement possible for police officers. The mayors and KNVB administrators can contribute by explicitly supporting and promoting the call to the minister."

Social Affairs Minister Eddy van Hijum previously said that he expects to be able to find an arrangement that will allow people with a difficult job to retire earlier, even after next year. Justice Minister David van Weel also hopes an agreement can be reached soon.