The interplay between the minimum wage and collective bargaining in the Netherlands:An overview and a case study of three sectors

This paper aims to provide a detailed picture in three parts of the statutory minimum wage in the Netherlands that provides a legally minimum level of pay which is binding for all sectors. First, we show how it was legally established in the 1960s and subsequently complemented with an extensive set of youth minimum wages, what the rules are that affect its uprating and how these are influenced by trade unions and employers’ associations. We examine how the level and the employment incidence of the minimum wage have evolved since the 1960s to gauge its significance for the development and distr... Mehr ...