Dutch gaming operator Holland Casino reached an agreement with two trade unions, the Federation of Dutch Trade Unions (FNV) and De Unie, to increase wages for its personnel.
One-Off Increase and Collective Labor Agreement
After weeks of negotiations with the FNV and De Unie, Holland Casino agreed to increase workers’ pay by 2.5% effective June and add another €60 ($63.54) per month, as well as a one-off payment of €350 ($370.65) next month. From January 1, 2023, employees will also get a 0.75% increase in wages.
Commenting on the negotiations, Holland Casino’s director of Human Resources Marleen Berk outlined the difficulties experienced by the business in the past two years due to the impact of the coronavirus which forced Holland Casino to shut down operations for months and also implement other restrictive policies.
“In the discussions about wages, we had to take into account Holland Casino’s financial position on the one hand, and inflation and the situation on the labor market on the other,” Berk stated, pleased that the parties “achieved a good result” within a short period of time.
“With this increase, there is a balanced agreement that is good for our employees and for Holland Casino.”
Marleen Berk, Director, Human Resources, Holland Casino
The collective labor agreement reached with both trade unions will run from June 1 2022 till September 30, 2023, and is guaranteeing employees will be paid a minimum wage rate of €14 ($14.83) an hour.
Closures Impacted 2021 Performance
Holland Casino agreed to increase wages despite its sluggish financial performance last year when revenue fell to €304.2 million ($322.1 million) from €333 million ($352.6 million) in 2020 as online gaming could not compensate for the decrease in the retail business segment that was impacted by the casino closures. Casinos in the country remained closed for 168 days.
Holland Casino ended 2021 with a loss before corporate income tax of 64.3 million ($68.1 million) an improvement of 20.3% on the company’s result in 2020 despite the 8.6% decrease in revenues.
In other news, Holland Casino became the new main sponsor of the Rotterdam Unlimited Summer Carnival, Europe’s largest multicultural street festival slated to take place from July 26-30, 2022, in the heart of Rotterdam, attracting over half a million visitors.