The Dutch pensions agreement between social partners and the government is still going according to plan despite the COVID-19 crisis, as per the players involved.

“All scheduled meetings about fleshing out the accord are going ahead, although most of them are now conducted by phone,” said Tuur Elzinga, head pensions negotiator at the FNV, the largest Dutch trade union.

Elzinga said plummeting funding ratios caused by the coronavirus crisis have highlighted the urgency for an update to the pensions system.

Jurre de Haan, pensions secretary of employer organisation VNO-NCW, said the agreement was indeed on schedule, adding that supporting technical groups were busy completing their memos.

Their proposals are to be passed on to the steering group, after also having been assessed by a “preparation group”.

The outcome will be incorporated into a framework memorandum, which is to be sent to parliament before the summer break, confirmed a spokesman for social affairs minister Wouter Koolmees.

He added that the revised pensions agreement is one of the minister’s priorities. A new Dutch pensions system is scheduled to come into force in 2022.