SCOOP Fellow Wike Been has been featured in an interview titled "Het cao-stelsel holt zichzelf uit: 'Als we niks doen, gaat het systeem aan het niks doen ten onder'" ("The collective labor agreement system is undermining itself: 'If we do nothing, the system will collapse from inaction'") - published by NRC (behind paywall).
In the article, Wike discusses the creative solutions needed to ensure that more workers in the Netherlands are covered by collective bargaining agreements, to ensure that they have salaries, vacation days, and pensions.
Wike argues that, because the polder model is eroding (the method of consensus decision making), unorthodox measures are needed to strengthen employer and employee organisations. This could include mandatory membership to industry associations for employers and compulsory collective bargaining.
'We truly see this conversation as essential,' Wike says, 'If we do nothing, the system will collapse. So we need to shed our blinders and consider: what opportunities are there now that we normally don't consider?'
You can read the NRC article here.
