On Friday, Philips issued a press release calling on the unions to come to a new collective labour agreement quickly. Thus on Monday, the unions came up with a counter-collective bargaining offer.
That offer is considerably higher than the offer from Philips. According to the trade unions FNV, CNV, VHP2 and De Unie, Philips’ offer is hardly higher than the offer withdrawn earlier. It would be even lower than a bid made by the healthcare technology company earlier this year.
Duration
The unions want the new collective labour agreement to have a term of 12 rather than 20 months. The unions find it unacceptable to agree on a longer-term because economic conditions, such as high inflation, can change quickly.
In addition, salaries must be increased by 7 per cent from 1 August, according to the unions, and employees must gain at least 290 euros per month. The Unions also advocate a gross payment of 2030 euros for the months of January to July.
Layoffs
It is an anxious period for Philips employees not only because of the ongoing negotiations but also because of a major reorganisation which leads to many layoffs.
For Eindhoven News: Beena Arunraj
Source: http://www.studio040.nl
