Dutch labor talks resume after strikes halt parliament work, shut slaughterhouses
Negotiations for a new collective labor agreement resumed Saturday for more than 160,000 Dutch central government employees after weeks of strikes that temporarily halted parliamentary work in the Tweede Kamer and shut slaughterhouses.
Unions FNV, CNV, AC Rijksvakbonden, and CMHF Overheid said Saturday morning they are accepting an invitation from Interior Minister Pieter Heerma to return to talks. The unions said the invitation brings “finally movement in a deadlocked conflict,” according to NU.nl.
The dispute centers on the government’s proposed “nullijn,” or zero line, which would freeze wages and provide no inflation adjustment for civil servants this year. Previous negotiations repeatedly collapsed.
The unions said Heerma had previously maintained that there was no room in the national budget for a meaningful wage increase. They now expect him to abandon the zero-line policy and present a wage offer for 2026.
The agreement covers employees across central government agencies, including DUO, Rijkswaterstaat, the Immigration and Naturalization Service, the Tax and Customs Administration, and the Custodial Institutions Agency.
Recent strikes caused broad disruption. Temporary closures occurred at slaughterhouses, government services became less accessible by phone, and cleaning services ceased in ministry buildings and the Tweede Kamer.
On Tuesday, the strike action escalated, halting work in the Tweede Kamer and suspending plenary debates and committee meetings. Parliamentary staff are also covered under the same collective agreement.
The previous contract, covering July 1, 2024, through the end of 2025, included an 8.5 percent wage increase, a structural 50 euro monthly payment, and a one-time inflation compensation payment.
