23 January 2008

RIJSWIJK – Police officers are on strike throughout the country on Wednesday. For the first time since unions started protest actions in December all police forces are on strike on the same day. The police are demonstrating against the collective labour agreement terms offered by Home Affairs Minister Guusje ter Horst.
 
Police stations throughout the country will be closed to the public today.

Different demonstrations will be taking place throughout the regions. In some forces union members will stop work for the entire day, in other regions the strike will only last a few hours.

In Gelderland-Zuid police will volunteer at the primary schools this morning, in the Haaglanden district the forces will present a petition to the corps chief. No activities have been announced for the Midden and West-Brabant police district.

This evening there will be police on duty to maintain order during the football matches in Amsterdam and Groningen. Their colleagues on strike will also be on hand to inform the public about why the police are striking. Emergency services will be on duty as usually, the unions say.

National police unions NPB, ACP, ANPV, VMHP and various regional professional organisations started strikes in December because they were unhappy with the collective labour agreement offer from Minister Ter Horst.

The minister recently increased the salary offered, but the unions were still not satisfied. The parties have now agreed to hold exploratory talks to discuss the viewpoints of the two sides.

Only once these exploratory talks have been completed will the negotiations on a new labour agreement resume.

The minister increased the initial pay rise offer by a half of a percentage point to 9.25 percent for officers who have been working the streets for a long time and are at the top of their salary scale. Other police personnel would be given a 6.25 percent rise in the coming two years.

The ACP is demanding a structural wage increase of EUR 200 per month. The NPB wants a salary increase of 3.3 percent per year and a contribution to healthcare costs for police officers whose partner does not work and /or who are supporting children in higher education.

[Copyright Expatica News + ANP 2008]

Subject: Dutch news