Union announces strike at Gelderland brick factory

Employees of a brick factory in Pannerden are going on strike on Monday morning. According to the FNV trade union, the strike by around 50 employees is the first in a series of actions with which employees want to force a higher salary increase. The strike at the Gelderland factory of brick producer Wienerberger lasts five hours and ends at 10:30 a.m.

According to FNV, employees are "deeply disappointed" with the salary increase employers have offered for the new collective labor agreement for brick producers. Union leader Yolanda Reus says this is partly because an earlier wage offer was lowered.

Earlier this week, the trade association Royal Dutch Building Ceramics (KNB) announced on behalf of employers that it regretted the announced actions. The brick industry currently has the problem of less being built in the Netherlands, while the costs for energy and sustainability have risen sharply in recent years. KNB, therefore, says that it is important to make collective labor agreements that "take into account both employee interests and the economic reality of the sector."

FNV also demands that older employees can more easily work fewer hours per week without losing too much salary and pension accrual. The union also wants wages to increase with inflation starting next May.