Dutch labor unions FNV, CNV, and VCP gave an ultimatum to the government on Wednesday. The unions want the Dutch State to do more to reach a permanent arrangement for people with hard physical labor jobs who want to retire earlier. If this does not happen, then strikes could follow in various sectors. Caretaker Minister Carola Schouten, who handles pension policy, said she will speak with the unions and employers.
ABP, the largest pension fund in the Netherlands, is calling on politicians to stop tinkering with the pension law for the major reform of the pension system. Board chairman Harmen van Wijnen states that politicians engaging in a renewed discussion about the law in the months after the election are causing unrest.
The Cabinet is increasing the minimum wage and social benefits on Bonaire, St. Eustatius, and Saba. This was announced by Minister Carola Schouten (Poverty Policy) and State Secretary Alexandra van Huffelen (Kingdom Relations) at a press conference on Bonaire. This was in response to the recently published report of the Thodé Committee. It had found that one in three islanders cannot make ends meet, although a large proportion of them work.
Politicians on Bonaire, St. Eustatius, and Saba doubt there is enough political will in the Netherlands to fight poverty on those islands. A commission of inquiry recommended on Friday that the minimum wage and social benefits be increased on the Caribbean islands. "First see, then believe," is the initial reaction of council member Clyde van Putten of the ruling PLP party on St. Eustatius.
The VVD is entering the parliamentary election in November with seven women in the top ten of its list of candidate parliamentarians. Party leader Dilan Yeşilgöz-Zegerius leads the list, followed by parliamentary faction leader Sophie Hermans and her deputy Bente Becker, sources told De Telegraaf.