A Dutch trade union federation’s research group says that many Dutch workers are more interested in more leisure time than in more pay. The federation, CNV, is campaigning for a 30-hour work week for most Dutch workers.
A third of those surveyed told researchers they’d pick more holidays over more pay. Union chair Piet Fortuin told press that “Many people feel over-worked and want to spend more time with their children, do voluntary work or take care of elderly relatives. And two in five feel they are being squeezed between work, their private lives and other obligations.”
By contrast, studies in the U.S. have found that a large portion of U.S. workers don’t even take all of the holidays or vacation they are entitled to, perhaps because of job or financial pressures.
Many Dutch workers are entitled to an occasional sabbatical, a longer-than-usual (and mostly unpaid) leave after a few years of working, either to upgrade skills, or to relax. Nearly half the workers in the CNV survey said they would like to save up that entitlement to either shorten their working week or retire early.
