Action will be taken tomorrow at drug manufacturer Delpharm in Meppel. Trade unions and the management of the pharmaceutical company cannot agree on a new collective labor agreement,
Negotiations on the proposals have now been going on for months. The pharmaceutical company was the former Astellas Pharma. Two years ago, the factory in Meppel was taken over by the French Delpharm, which is located in several countries.
FNV director Esam Laassal: “The negotiations started before the summer and we resumed them after the summer. The final offer submitted by the management was rejected by our members, and quite a lot. So we returned this to the company. This resulted in an ultimatum that expired last Friday.”
This will be followed by tomorrow’s gate action. There is no strike yet, but it is a break action, during which sandwiches and drinks are distributed and the union talks to employees.
Esam Laassal of FNV says that with the arrival of the new management there is a threat of deterioration for the staff. “The pain among employees is partly due to the salary offer, there is too big a gap with what the members want. They also believe that a deterioration of the current employment conditions is being proposed.”
According to FNV, this includes the arrangement for sick employees and adjusting the assessment system. Laassal does not rule out tougher actions in the future. According to him, there is a great willingness to take action among union members.