Direct Request (CEACR) - adopted 2009, published 99th ILC session (2010)

Employment Service Convention, 1948 (No. 88) - Netherlands (Ratification: 1950)

The Committee takes note of the information contained in the Government’s report, received in August 2009, in reply to its 2007 direct request, and the comments provided thereon by the National Federation of Christian Trade Unions (CNV).

1. Contribution of the employment service to employment creation. Articles 1, 3, 7 and 8 of the Convention. The Committee notes that in 2008 the Centres for Work and Income (CWI) in the Netherlands directly placed 103,000 persons in new positions. Furthermore, jobseekers also benefited from CWI’s indirect assistance. Some 40 per cent of these placements were carried out through private employment offices acting as employers. The Government reports that combating youth unemployment is continuing and that measures to assist older unemployed workers for regaining access to the labour market have been implemented in cooperation with other government entities. The Committee welcomes continuing to receive information on the activities of the public employment service, and the results of special measures taken to address special categories of applicants, such as youth and older workers. The Committee also requests information on the measures taken within the various employment offices to facilitate specialization by occupations or industries in which such specialization may be useful.

2. Article 4. Participation of social partners. The Government reports that, while the introduction of the structure for implementation of work and income (SUWI) has entailed a change in the nature of cooperation between representatives of employers and workers in the employment service, and in the development of employment policy, cooperation is still ensured. The tripartite Council for Work and Income (RWI) has maintained its advisory function with regard to labour market policy on a decentralized level and, since the evaluations of 2005 and 2006, continues to act as a formal meeting point for employers/employees and the local communities. The CNV observes that, although the Government’s report might create the impression that the social partners’ interaction with the SUWI had been increased, this was not the case. Also, the referred to cases of progress were concentrated on RWI’s effectiveness and efficiency, but not on the allocation of responsibilities. The Committee stresses again the importance of involving social partners in developing an effective public employment service and in the development of employment service policy, and wishes to continue to receive information on the activities of such advisory committees in the organization and operation of the employment service and in the development of employment service policy.

3. Article 11. Cooperation between the public employment service and private employment agencies. The Government maintains that most of the regional offices of the CWI also include a representative from one or more private agencies, and the public employment agencies facilitate access to information on the private employment agencies. The Government reports that the services for matching offers and applications for employment by private employment agencies concentrate on issuance of temporary contracts on behalf of a user enterprise. In 2008, these agencies placed approximately 1,400,000 persons. Contracts had an average duration of 3.5 months. These agencies act as employers for the purposes of the law, and for collective labour agreements. The Government states that
4–5 per cent of vacancies are filled in this manner. The Committee refers to its comments made under the Private Employment Agencies Convention, 1997 (No. 181), and invites the Government to continue to provide information on the arrangements made to secure effective cooperation between the public employment service and private employment agencies.