The new cabinet’s measures will cost long-term unemployed people up to 66,000 euros. The CNV trade union based this figure on a recent analysis. These losses follow a 20 per cent cut to the maximum daily wage. Additionally, the government plans to halve the duration of unemployment benefits (WW) from 24 to 12 months.
CNV chairman Piet Fortuin describes these figures as proof of “devastation” by the new cabinet. He notes that individuals lose over fifty thousand euros in benefits while premiums remain the same. Fortuin calls this an unprecedented raid on employee rights.
The union states these calculations apply to those earning the maximum daily wage or higher. However, middle and lower incomes still lose between 10,000 and 50,000 euros due to shorter benefit periods. This change hits older workers particularly hard. These individuals often struggle to find new jobs due to age discrimination. Shorter benefit periods force them into means-tested welfare sooner, which may require them to sell their homes.
The CNV concludes that the proposed benefit cuts represent a severe reduction in worker protections that will hit older employees the hardest. They argue that the government is unfairly redirecting insurance funds while leaving citizens with a significantly diminished safety net.
@anp | NEWS BRAINPORT
