Webhelp no longer wants to pay for the small breaks from July 3, 2023. FNV states this in a message on the website. According to the union does the employer want to offer compensation for another year and a half, which amounts to 100% until the end of 2023 and 50% until the end of 2024. From the beginning of 2025, the small breaks will then be borne by the employee. This means that employees work half an hour longer per day for the same wage, according to FNV, which considers this an unauthorized unilateral change to the terms of employment. FNV has asked Webhelp to discuss this; employees are advised not to sign or promise anything. The union will issue an official message later this week, says Elly Heemskerk. CNV also has a message to members placed.

The Working Hours Act prescribes that after a minimum of 5,5 hours of work there is a right to a break of at least 30 minutes, something which may be deviated from in a collective labor agreement. The Collective Labor Agreement for facility contact centers only stipulates that the break time is 5,5 minutes for working hours of more than 30 hours per shift. There are facility contact centers in the collective labor agreement no arrangements made about the little breaks.

Competition

Ronald van Schijndel (ceo Webhelp) indicates that Webhelp was already working on the plan six months ago and informed both FNV and CNV at an early stage. “We didn't take any chances.” He is clear about the motives: the competitive position forces the company to also take this action. “We are one of the few parties that continue to pay for the short breaks. We are confronted with that in the competition that exists. It is not a WFC collective agreement,” says Van Schijndel. He emphasizes that the decision is not a response to the collective agreement either - the short breaks have not been the subject of the collective bargaining at all, he says.

Van Schijndel wants to emphasize that employees will be compensated until the end of 2024 and that they always have the choice to adjust their contract hours. “We will enter into discussions with all employees.” In addition, Webhelp employees will receive a higher accrual percentage for the pension that will be introduced on 1 July than the collective labor agreement prescribes, says Van Schijndel. It is difficult for him to make this decision, he says, but he also sees that outsourcing customer contact to locations outside the Netherlands is taking off – “We are also participating in that ourselves, but that is the only way to keep it affordable .”

Code of responsible market conduct

The decision comes at a striking time. The collective labor agreement was signed less than six months ago; part of this is that we are also working towards a code of responsible market behavior that should contribute to a level playing field.
Webhelp's works council has approved the plan. (Ziptone/Erik Bouwer)

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