The cabinet must take more account of customisation in the second support package for businesses. Some businesses are currently ineligible for the NOW scheme, while they are losing a lot of turnover.
This is the view of Transport and Logistics Netherlands (TLN). The current NOW scheme does not take into account seasonal work or an increase in turnover due to an acquisition in 2020. "There was little refinement in it," said TLN president Elisabeth Post in the radio programme Haagse Lobby. "That means there were companies in between that were in dire need of it, but could not make use of it."
TLN therefore hopes that company-specific features will be taken into account in the second scheme. "Please, in the new support package, let us look very carefully at customisation, customisation, customisation," said Post.
Second aid package
The current support measures are in place until the end of May. The government is currently discussing the terms of a second support programme for a further three months. These plans are expected to be presented next week.
Koolmees: dismissal penalty to be dropped
Social Affairs Minister Wouter Koolmees already revealed on TV programme Op1 that the dismissal penalty might be scrapped in the second support package. Companies currently claiming the NOW scheme are not allowed to lay off employees. If they do, the excess aid received must be repaid, with a fine of 50 per cent of the amount on top. Koolmees believes that companies should be given the space to lay people off and restructure. The fine will then lapse, but the overpayment must be repaid.
Trade unions and MPs reacted angrily to this plan. CNV and FNV feared large-scale rounds of redundancies. GroenLinks and SP announced they would vote against the support package if the dismissal penalty was scrapped.
