Trade union FNV and the Dutch municipalities have reached an agreement in principle on the new collective labor agreement for garbage collectors and city cleaning staff. On average, wages will rise by 9.1 percent. FNV will announce this on Wednesday. This puts an end to strikes at several municipalities, including Utrecht, The Hague and Amsterdam, where garbage was not collected and therefore piled up in inner cities.
Municipalities are increasing the wages of employees in the very lowest scale by 16.4 percent, according to FNV. Employees in slightly higher scales, including boas, for example, will benefit by 12 percent. Wages in the highest scales will rise by almost 7 percent. These agreements are presented to the members of FNV with a positive advice from the trade union. As a rule, FNV members agree to agreements made by the union.
Negotiator Marieke Manschot of FNV Overheid says that employees in the lowest scales in particular need their pay rise “to make ends meet in these financially difficult times for them”. Inflation was 11.6 percent in 2022, mainly due to price increases for food and energy. This is a major problem, especially for people with a small budget; they spend a relatively large part of their income on basic services.