Forbes/AFX News Limited: Shell and unions reach compromise, work at Dutch refineries to resume today: “…the CNV Chemie union confirmed that Shell has agreed to continue to allow its workers to retire at the age of 60.”: Thursday 3 November 2005
AMSTERDAM (AFX) - Royal Dutch Shell and Dutch labour unions CNV and FNV have reached agreement on a list of demands by the unions, and production at Shell's refineries in the Netherlands is to resume as early as this evening.
A spokesperson for the CNV Chemie union confirmed that Shell has agreed to continue to allow its workers to retire at the age of 60. In return, the workers will start to pay pension fees from January 1 of next year.
The unions had organised strikes at Shell's refineries after the company had said that it wanted to raise the official retirement age to 65, and demanded that workers start paying part of the pension fees themselves.
A third of Shell's production capacity in the refineries ground to a halt as union members laid down their work.
A spokesperson confirmed that production would be resumed 'as soon as possible', adding that full production will possibly be reached this evening.
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