Holland Casino agrees blanket pay rises despite revenue dip

The negotiated agreement, which runs until the end of September 2023, sees a series of wage commitments and one-off payments following weeks of discussions with FNV, the Netherlands’ largest trades union confederation, and De Unie.

Wages for all employees will be increased by 2.5% from this month, while a nominal amount of €60 per month will also be added on a structural basis. There will be a new minimum wage of €14 per hour, while wages will increase by another 0.75% from the start of 2023.

All those who are employed by Holland Casino in July this year will receive a one-off gross amount of €350 based on full-time employment in that month.

Marleen Berk, human resources director at Holland Casino, said: “The past two years have been dominated for Holland Casino by the impact of the coronavirus. We were forced to close our doors for months and were confronted with many restrictive measures.

“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 in the labour market on the other.

“I am pleased that we have achieved a good result in a relatively short period of time. With this increase, there is a balanced agreement that is good for our employees and for Holland Casino.”

The raises across the board come despite Holland Casino experiencing an 8.7% year-on-year decrease in revenues for 2021. Holland Casino’s revenue dropped to €304.2m in 2021, as the launch of online gaming was not enough to offset the continued impact of the Covid-19 pandemic. Casinos were closed for 168 days due to lockdown restrictions.