The Dutch FNV trades union federation plans to reopen negotiations with employers and the government on pension reform.

The FNV wants talks with the government on how state pensions can keep pace with wages and talks with employers on the division of pension premiums between companies and their staff.

The union movement is divided about the best way forward on the pensions issue. In June 2010, the FNV made a broad agreement with the government and employers on pension reforms. The pensionable age was to rise to 66 in 2020 and the age was to be reviewed every five years.

The agreement was rejected by many in the trades union movement. They feared pension rights were being eroded and that pensioners and workers were being saddled with too many risks.

The FNV now wants to renegotiate with the government and employers. The issue remains highly contentious, and FNV members held a protest against their own chairwoman Agnes Jongerius on Monday afternoon.

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