Trade unions FNV, CNV and De Unie have reached a collective labor agreement with BOVAG, the trade organization for car companies and bicycle shops. According to FNV, this means that the actions and strikes that were previously threatened have been canceled. Union members must still agree to the negotiation result.
Employees who fall under the Motor Vehicle and Two-Wheeler Company collective labor agreement will gain an average of 10.5 percent over a period of fifteen months. “An above-average collective labor agreement result,” says FNV director Murat Sekercan. “As a trade union, we have done everything we can to arrive at a new collective labor agreement for our members and employees in the sector. That worked.”
That was different at the end of last year. Then union members rejected the bargaining result because they felt that wages were not rising enough. In November, a 6 percent wage increase was proposed, while members demanded a minimum of 10 percent. Sekercan will therefore positively present the new result to the members, he says.
CNV director Nicole Engmann is also pleased with the new result. Although she thought she had already reached an agreement with the employers last year, until the members “put on the brakes”. “They indicated that they found the pay increase too meager and were even prepared to take action for a better result. BOVAG took that message to heart and invited us for a new conversation. That resulted in this new agreement.”
Return to peace
According to BOVAG, employers wanted peace to return, something that required clarity among employees. “That is why BOVAG has invited the trade unions to a formal round of negotiations, which has resulted in a new negotiating agreement,” the trade association said. “Employers grant their employees this increase.”
The collective labor agreement applies to approximately 84,000 people who work at garages, car dealers, truck companies and bicycle shops, among others.