Dutch unions and employers agree plans to limit flexibility

Unions and employers in the Netherlands have reached an outline agreement on plans to change the Dutch labour market to make it less flexible. In line with the recommendations of the government-appointed Bortslap commission, both sides agree that, with around 30% of Dutch workers either on temporary contracts or self-employed, flexibility has gone too far. They want to limit the use of temporary workers to specific situations like sickness or sales peaks and to improve the pay of the self-employed.