"Not very" just about sums up how happy Dutch bank workers feel with their working conditions. Dutch bank staff gave a score of 4.7 out of 10 to an agreement intended to cut the number of complaints of work pressure and computer-related physical disorders (Repetitive Strain Injury - RSI). The agreement was signed in November 2001, and ran out at the end of 2004.

In March this year, Dutch trade unions unveiled the findings of a questionnaire circulated to staff in the country's main banks. 75% complained of work pressure, while 26% claimed that using a computer at work had caused them health problems (eyestrain, backache, etc.).

Although a program enabling computer users to take work breaks is available in most of the banks, it is used by under 50% of staff, mainly because of pressure of work. The most-often cited causes of work pressure in the questionnaire were excessive work load, under-staffing, and uncertainty about the future created by reorganizations. The overwhelming majority of bank staff thought management were not paying enough attention to the problem.

The survey also highlights different perceptions between head office and local branch staff, with the former reporting greater satisfaction with the agreement's achievements.

These agreements, known as covenants, are concluded by the government with the social partners. They are officially promoted - the Dutch government helps to fund them - and have mushroomed in different sectors in recent years. But they are non-binding, and enforcement is left to the employers' discretion, so this "alternative" to traditional collective agreements is more likely to bring comfort to employers than heal the physical ills and mental scars left by worsening working conditions for thousands of Dutch workers.

Source: Tussen droom en daad. De goede bedoelingen van een arboconvenant en de weerbarstige praktijk, Stichting FNV Pers, March 2005, 28 p.