Pharmacy workers planning national strike on Nov. 12 over wage increase
Pharmacy workers in the Netherlands plan to walk off the job in a nationwide strike set for November 12. Between now and then, they will also plan a series of regional strikes as part of their ongoing fight for higher wages, said labor unions FNV and CNV, as well as the national pharmacists' organization KNMP.
The workers are pushing for an increase in their own pay, as well as a boost in the national minimum wage. "FNV and CNV want wages in pharmacies to increase by 6 percent retroactively from July 1. The minimum wage must also be increased to 16 euros per hour," the organizations wrote in a joint statement.
The lowest paid pharmacy workers earn 27,746 euros per year, before taxes. This ranges up to 45,078 euros for the most senior pharmacy assistants, and 50,487 euros for the most senior team leaders on staff. Managers are paid anywhere from 40,622 to 57,066 euros per year, based on the current collective agreement.
The current hourly minimum wage in the Netherlands is 13.68 euros. This will grow by 2.75 percent in January to 14.06 euros per hour.
Labor unions FNV and CNV said they expect “thousands of pharmacy assistants” to join the national strike. They will hold a rally that date in The Hague. In the upcoming weeks, there will be regional strikes in Flevoland, Noord-Brabant, the northern region of Limburg, Overijssel, and Zeeland.
Pharmacy workers already walked off the job in brief regional strikes in eight provinces, including Drenthe, Friesland, Gelderland, Groningen, Limburg, Noord-Holland, Utrecht, and Zuid-Holland.
