Trade union FNV wants to expand strikes in the metal and engineering sector from 24 to 48 hours. "We are going to scale up in duration," FNV negotiator Peter Reniers announced Thursday during a strike meeting in Eindhoven.
Employers still do not want to meet key demands, an FNV spokesman said. "We will continue to strike until there is a good collective agreement," he said. When the strike duration will be doubled is not yet certain because consultations with constituencies must be held first.
Work stoppages have been going on for nearly three weeks but are having little effect. Among other things, the unions are demanding a 10 percent wage increase and better arrangements for older workers. Some 360,000 workers are covered by the Metaal en Techniek collective labor agreement, according to FNV. They work for smaller metal and engineering companies, such as installation or insulation companies.