Tata Steel has finally agreed to the demands of workers at its IJmuiden unit in the Netherlands, saying no employee will lose his job, according to labour union FNV Metaal.
In a statement issued on Friday, the Dutch workers' union said it has reached an agreement with the management of Tata Steel in the Netherlands.
Tata Steel also confirmed reaching an agreement with the union.
In a statement, the company said it has reached an agreement with its Dutch unions to resolve the differences which resulted in the strike action in IJmuiden.
As per the negotiations, which finished last late night, the company said in the Netherlands there will be no compulsory redundancies from the company's transformation programme.
Roel Berghuis, director of FNV Metaal, said: After 25 days of strike, the management of Tata Steel finally listens to the wishes of the employees. Hard agreements have been made to maintain employment. No employee will be fired in IJmuiden during the upcoming reorganisation from Tata Steel Europe.
In addition, the employment pact, which contains agreements on job retention, has been extended by five years until October 1, 2026, he said in the statement.
"The pact also contains agreements about working less for older employees. The current generation pact has therefore been extended by two years until December 31, 2024. This pact includes the possibility of working 50 per cent after the age of 60, while retaining 100 per cent pension accrual and 77 to 90 per cent of wages, depending on the amount of the current salary, " the union said.
Federatie Nederlandse Vakverenigingen (FNV) said is very satisfied with the agreement and it will now present it to its members as soon as possible.
Berghuis said, "This agreement counterbalances the risks we saw coming from Tata Steel Europe. It shows that striking pays off. I am very proud of everyone who helped to achieve this result." The Dutch operations of the company were facing continuous protests and demonstrations since June 10.
The demands of workers included agreements about job security, a robust strategic plan, ending the integration with Tata Steel UK, and about the non-transfer of profits to Tata Steel UK, among others.
Henrik Adam, CEO of Tata Steel in Europe, said: "This agreement should give our employees the confidence that Tata Steel is fully committed to building a sustainable future for IJmuiden. We share an ambition with our employee representatives to restore IJmuiden's position as the most competitive steel plant in Europe." Hans van den Berg, Tata Steel's IJmuiden hub director, said: "We are pleased to report we have reached an agreement with all unions. That is good news for Tata Steel, for IJmuiden and all of us. We held discussions late into the night yesterday and thanks to everyone's constructive attitude reached an agreement."
