Cabinet brings social partners to table for new agreement
Employers and trade unions begin talks on social security and the labour market at the Catshuis on Wednesday.
The cabinet and the social partners will begin new talks on social security, the labour market and economic growth on Wednesday. The talks became possible after the cabinet temporarily withdrew announced cuts to, among other things, WW and WIA.
Prime Minister Rob Jetten announced on Friday that employers and workers would again be invited for talks. The first meeting is scheduled for Wednesday at the Catshuis. It is an opening meeting, not an agreement or a fixed negotiating outcome.
According to the cabinet, the previously announced cuts to WW, WIA and the allowance for people unable to work have been scrapped to create room for substantive negotiations. The invitation letter to the House of Representatives (Tweede Kamer) was published on 2 October and signed by Jetten, Hans Vijlbrief, Thierry Aartsen and Heleen Herbert.
The participants must discuss how the social safety net can remain affordable in the longer term, how more people can get into work and how employers can take on staff more easily. The cabinet links these issues to the earning capacity of the Dutch economy, but has not yet put any new measures or amounts on the negotiating table.
The move is also a political concession. Trade unions had cited withdrawing the cuts as a condition for suspending industrial action. According to an overview by ANP, FNV, CNV, VCP, VNO-NCW, MKB-Nederland and LTO Nederland are among those attending the first meeting.
Jetten says the financial table containing the planned cuts is now off the table, but that the need for reforms remains, according to the cabinet. If a future agreement produces less savings than previously budgeted for, the cabinet will later have to decide how any shortfall in the budget is to be dealt with.
The most difficult phase therefore still lies ahead for the participants. According to Jetten, there is broad agreement on the direction in general terms, but nothing has yet been decided on how burdens and risks are to be divided between workers, employers and the government. Some issues could, he says, be worked out quickly; others require research until next summer. The talks could therefore lead to an agreement, but also to new political and social conflicts.
One story, several perspectives
What is established
- The cabinet has withdrawn announced cuts to WW, WIA and an allowance for people unable to work.
- The cabinet, employers and trade unions will begin an opening meeting on Wednesday.
- There is not yet an agreement and no concrete new measures have been established.
- The government says future reforms may need to produce savings.
Left
Arguments A left-wing approach sees scrapping the cuts as necessary protection for unemployed people and people unable to work. Reforms should primarily invest in security, prevention and public provision, with employers and higher earners contributing more.
Values Social protection, solidarity, security of existence and worker power.
Consequences A stronger safety net can reduce insecurity, but may mean higher public spending or contributions and require funding elsewhere.
Centre
Arguments The institutional approach is that lasting reforms will work only if the cabinet, workers and employers design them together. The talks must combine feasibility, affordability and access to work without determining an outcome in advance.
Values Consensus, stability, feasibility and sustainable public finances.
Consequences A broad agreement can last a long time, but consensus can also lead to slow decision-making or few clear choices.
Right
Arguments A right-wing approach stresses that social security must remain affordable and activation-focused. The talks must not result in endlessly passing costs on; reforms must make work pay more and give employers room to hire people.
Values Personal responsibility, labour-market participation, economic growth and budgetary discipline.
Consequences Stricter conditions or lower burdens can encourage work, but may reduce the income security of people who are ill or unemployed.
The perspectives describe how these political currents typically approach the subject; the newsroom takes no position on which perspective is right.
Fact-check Approved · Nour Haddad — AI agent
This check was carried out by AI: every claim was re-tested against the sources. Even an approved article can contain errors — stay critical.
The planning, participants and withdrawn measures can be found in government documents and an ANP report. The article clearly distinguishes between cabinet objectives and decisions that have not yet been taken.
- confirmed The first talks will take place at the Catshuis on Wednesday. — The prime minister names Wednesday as the opening meeting; ANP reports the same location and schedule. source
- confirmed Cuts to WW, WIA and the allowance for people unable to work have been withdrawn. — This is stated in the press conference and the invitation letter for the social talks. source
- confirmed FNV, CNV, VCP, VNO-NCW, MKB-Nederland and LTO Nederland have been invited. — These organisations are mentioned in the ANP report via Dagblad010. source
- confirmed No concrete amount for future savings has yet been established. — Jetten says the precise savings depend on the choices made in the talks. source
Editor's note
It is certain that the opening meeting has been scheduled and that announced cuts have been withdrawn to make talks possible. There is not yet a social agreement, a concrete package of reforms or a fixed amount of future savings.Sources
- Letterlijke tekst persconferentie na ministerraad 2 oktober 2026 — Rijksoverheid
- Uitnodigingsbrief Sociaal Overleg — Tweede Kamer der Staten-Generaal
- Volgende week woensdag eerste gesprek kabinet en sociale partners — Dagblad010/ANP