Employees at Albert Heijn's distribution centres have given the management of Albert Heijn time until 5:00 pm on Sunday, 23 April, to submit a collective labour agreement offering a 'decent' wage increase.
Should the supermarket fail to meet this deadline, employees will take action, the Federation of Dutch Trade Unions (Federatie Nederlandse Vakbeweging, FNV) has warned.
In early April, workers at Albert Heijn's logistics centre in Pijnacker spontaneously went on strike two days in a row. There was also a wildcat strike in Tilburg, FNV added.
Shefania Sewbaks, collective bargaining officer for FNV Handel, commented, "The management thinks that with 6% extra salary in April and 2% as of January, it offers an appropriate wage increase that does justice to the commitment of the DC workers.
"We think this is far too little. And so do the people themselves. They are almost all willing to take action."
Collective Bargaining Agreement
The FNV has asked for a collective bargaining agreement that runs until 15 April 2024, offering at least a 14.3% increase in wages, plus €100 gross per month.
It also added that wages must rise in line with inflation going forward (automatic price compensation), and the allowances for working on Sundays remain.
Albert Heijn wants to reduce these allowances by half, which according to FNV is 'unacceptable'.
The supermarket's distribution centres employ around 4,000 people in Geldermalsen, Pijnacker, Tilburg, Zaandam, Zwolle and Hoorn.
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© 2023 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest supply chain news. Article by Dayeeta Das. Click subscribe to sign up to ESM: The European Supermarket Magazine.
