Employee participation and industrial relations

Consultations with employee participation bodies in 2021 were dominated by the various change programmes resulting from the transformation. Of course they also dealt with the regular annual advisory and consent procedures in which the employee participation bodies are involved.

In February 2021, NS and the trade unions agreed on at a new CLA which also covers the Social Plan, pension arrangements and an employment guarantee. The term of the new CLA runs from 1 April 2020 to 1 July 2022. The Social Plan and the employment guarantee will remain in effect until 1 January 2025.

Employee participation elections for the 2021-2024 period were held in September. To make sure that the employee participation bodies are well equipped to perform their duties, their members attended introductory training programmes in October.

Op 22 September 2021, employees of Service Stations and Train Managers of IC Brussels downed tools in response to a call to that effect by the trade unions. Talks between NS and the unions resulted in an agreement later in the autumn.