17 October 2021
Source: Service Management

Cleaners union wage offer expected on 22 or 23 November

Trade unions FNV and CNV and employers“ organisation Schoonmakend Nederland met in Zeist on Thursday 14 October to negotiate a new collective agreement for the cleaning sector for the second time. Fedde Monsma, manager CLA, Labour Relations and Project at Schoonmakend Nederland: ”We have made small steps." Nevertheless, it is understood that the employers' wage offer is likely to be put on the table on 22 or 23 November.

onsma updated the trade press on the collective bargaining negotiations. “I don't think I can make it very exciting today,” he began. This is because the negotiators did not yet get to the wage offer, traditionally the most important part of the negotiations. After all, these largely determine, alongside social security contributions, what the cost structure looks like for a cleaning company.

Question after that is then how they can pass on a wage increase to customers. FNV wants a minimum of 14 hours per hour. CNV wants to increase wages by 5 per cent with effect from 1 January 2022 and on 1 January 2023. So a total of 10 per cent in two years. Schoonmakend Nederland is keeping its cards close to its chest. Although...

Start of collective agreement cleaning negotiations: FNV draws employers' attention to non-compliance with collective agreement

Nail the headlines

The unions do not want wages to be the last thing on the table. To accommodate them, a session has been scheduled to, as Monsma put it, nail the issue. This will be on 22 and 23 November. That is just over a month before the current collective agreement expires on 1 January.

We have no sense of urgency because we believe in the current trajectory.

Still, Monsma is not worried. “Whether that gives extra pressure? No, we are not concerned about that. We have no sense of urgency, also because we believe in the current trajectory. Yes, we differ with the unions and from time to time it will clash hard, but we are confident of making it to the end of the year. Should it not succeed on 22 and 23 November, we have scheduled dates in December to still reach an agreement.”

Commitment

In particular, FNV insisted on not wanting to deal with wages last. Monsma: “We understand that too. Wages are very important and we really do want to show that we appreciate the efforts of employees. But we also want to look at the whole package. From sustainable employability and stopping work earlier to healthy retirement and training. It would be a shame if, as a result of setting wages now, we no longer have room for the other elements and proposals.” But so now there is a nail-biting session as a commitment.

On Thursday 14 October, FNV executives were there, as well as CNV trade union executive Jan Kampherbeek and the support group of cleaning entrepreneurs from Schoonmakend Nederland. “The negotiations proceeded in a good atmosphere,” Monsma said. “Everyone was up for it. It's handy that the support groups of unions and entrepreneurs are there, because it means we have practice literally at our fingertips.”

The RAS helpdesk receives many questions about the collective agreement.

Monsma notes that small steps have been taken. “For example, about ambiguities in the current collective agreement. The helpdesk of the Raad voor Arbeidsverhoudingen Schoonmaak- en glazenwassersbranche receives many questions about the collective agreement, and from these we have distilled matters that we could possibly write down better in the collective agreement. This concerns several articles. For example, article 34, paragraphs 5 and 6. Is it clear what that says about travel hours and the appointment of different objects? So those things were more technical in nature. If you then change such an article textually, does that make it clearer and is it still legally correct?”

Right to inaccessibility

Mutual clarification of plans was also on the cards. Monsma: “Of course, during the first day of negotiations presented the proposals to each other and asked initial questions, but then in a fortnight you go back and re-read the proposals and other questions arise. We have addressed those now. For example: CNV proposes to include the right to inaccessibility in the collective agreement. In itself a good point, but we had a question about that. Isn't that already in Article 17? Or should we then somehow explain it better. We asked those kinds of questions back and forth.”

Couple of minor issues agreement

Jan Kampherbeek, CNV board member: “It's true that no major strokes have been made yet and they have mainly looked back and talked about what issues can easily be settled. There are also already a few small issues on which there is agreement. Schoonmakend Nederland has proposed more training for digital development of people. The unions also agree to that. We think it would be good to take that up because cleaning is also digitising to some extent.”

Cleaners Netherlands has proposed more training for people's digital development. The unions agreed to that.

In the scanning atmosphere

Overall, we can say that the CAO negotiations are still in the tentative stages. Monsma: “Gradually we are touching each other's points, but on 22 and 23 November we will go heavy on the content. By then we will have received all the recommendations from working groups and that will provide a nice basis for making big steps.”

Exciting times

Monsma also paints another picture of the industry. “These are still exciting times. We see that the market is picking up for cleaning companies, but in specific industries such as the hotel industry, they have taken huge hits. They are now making up for that to some extent, but never completely. We are there as an industry
so not yet.”

10,000 people have left the sector. We cannot get them back with wages alone.

He continued: “We also see 10,000 people have left the sector. That's not even counting the flexible shell. Where those cleaners have gone, we don't know, nor do we know if they are coming back. We cannot get them back with wages alone, because then we will end up in a wage-price spiral. But that we need to do something about the qualitative perception of the cleaning profession is clear. As employers, we need to enable development.”

How to proceed

Finally, Monsma says, laughing: “Besides the technique, the negotiation sessions are also just fun, you know. We also laugh off quite a lot.” That may be next time on 4 and 5 November. So then on 22 and 23 November is the nail-biting session where Schoonmakend Nederland will in all likelihood come up with its wage offer.