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THE HAGUE – October 6, 2026 | The Dutch Daily
WW and WIA cuts withdrawn: on 2 October 2026 Prime Minister Rob Jetten announced after the Council of Ministers that the cabinet is taking the previously announced cuts to the WW (unemployment benefit), the allowance for the partially disabled (tegemoetkoming arbeidsongeschikten) and the WIA (disability benefit) off the table. The reason: to make room for an agreement between employers and employees on the future of social security and the Netherlands’ earning capacity. Invitations to the social partners went out that morning, and a first start-up conversation is planned at the Catshuis on Wednesday 7 October.
Key facts
- Announced: 2 October 2026, press conference of Prime Minister Jetten after the Council of Ministers.
- Withdrawn: the earlier announced cuts to the WW, the allowance for the partially disabled and the WIA.
- Why: to make the conversation with the “polder” (employers and unions) possible and to reach a social-economic agreement on social security and the ability to earn.
- Next step: a first start-up conversation with the social partners at the Catshuis on Wednesday 7 October.
- Unions: the Prime Minister said unions have said they are suspending their actions.
- Not the end of reform: Jetten says the financial table is off the table, “but not the need” for major reforms.
In this report
What the cabinet announced
Jetten said the Council of Ministers looked back on the General Financial Debates and the talks with the opposition about the budget, and that the cabinet saw movement on three points. The first: the cabinet makes room for an agreement between employers and employees about the future of social security and the Netherlands’ earning capacity, about how the social safety net is kept for future generations and how more people can be helped into work. To make this conversation with the polder possible, “we are taking the previously announced cuts to the WW, the allowance for the partially disabled and the WIA off the table”.
Why the WW and WIA cuts were withdrawn
Asked why the cabinet waited so long to drop the WW and WIA cuts, Jetten pointed to earlier steps: the question of reforming the AOW age was a blockade for negotiating, which the cabinet resolved fairly quickly, and the maximum daily wage (maximum dagloon) followed, where the cabinet also moved. According to him that was not enough to get everyone back at the table, “while that is a pity, because every day more people end up in the WIA. The system at the UWV is getting more stuck, bad for the labour market, bad for the economy”. That is why the cabinet decided the week before to take the whole package off the table.
Asked whether he recognises the image that the unions won, Jetten said no: the unions themselves say they will negotiate seriously because they want more people at work and want to prevent so many people dropping out through illness, while giving people who do fall ill a good safety net and guiding them faster to prospects.
The talks with employers and unions after the WW and WIA cuts
Update, 7 October 2026: first talks at the Catshuis
The cabinet, employers and unions held their first meeting at the Catshuis on 7 October. According to NOS, Prime Minister Jetten called it a first conversation in a good atmosphere, which FNV chair Spekman and VNO-NCW chair Van Oostrom confirmed. Jetten said the unions confirmed that their actions are suspended for now. Talks continue in a few weeks; Jetten wants a number of agreements by the spring, with a social agreement (sociaal akkoord) as the end goal.
Spekman said there is no task to find a fixed amount of savings in these talks, and that the cabinet confirmed this at the table. Minister Vijlbrief of Social Affairs called the WIA reform “really the big thing”. According to NOS, the cuts to social security are off the table but not entirely gone: if the cabinet and the unions do not reach agreement, the bill goes to other ministries, mainly Education.
Source: NOS, 7 October 2026
- Invitations: sent on the morning of 2 October to the social partners “to talk with us again about the economy and the labour market”.
- 7 October: a first start-up conversation at the Catshuis, where the parties will determine which topics a social agreement should solve.
- Timing: according to Jetten some things can go fast, others need more investigation and thinking towards next summer.
- Background: Jetten said that soon after the cabinet took office there were four new boards and chairs at the four biggest players in the polder, who had to show where they stand, and that they felt the cabinet offered too little room for formal negotiations. He said that after six months everybody now knows where everybody stands.
The cabinet calls this “a new start” to reach agreements about prosperity and wellbeing, also with a view to long-term economic developments, and says it believes the Netherlands can again conclude a broad social-economic agreement, as it has done before.
What about the money?
Jetten said the financial table is now off the table, but not the need to carry out a number of big reforms. Asked whether the cabinet rules out cutting education spending, he said he thinks that will not be necessary because the cabinet has taken a “pause for breath” on the cuts at the Ministry of Social Affairs and Employment so that a social agreement can be negotiated. Savings should come out of that agreement, and below the line the cabinet will see what shortfall remains; if there is one, the cabinet says it will cover it, in the spring or at next year’s Budget Day (Miljoenennota), within the expenditure. He rejected the image that billions will have to be cut, because the cabinet believes substantial savings are possible within social security if choices are made.
Two other points from the press conference
- Box 3: the cabinet established a “novelle” (amendment bill) on box 3 and asked the Council of State for urgent advice; see our report on box 3 and small savers.
- Purchasing power: the cabinet frees up extra funds to expand the purchasing-power package further, in particular for working Dutch people.
What it means for you
- If you receive or may one day need a WW or WIA benefit: the previously announced WW and WIA cuts are withdrawn for now, to make room for the negotiations. The announcement does not describe the new content of any agreement.
- No agreement yet: dropping the WW and WIA cuts only opens the talks. The first conversation is on 7 October; Jetten said some things can go quickly and others take until next summer.
- Expats: the press conference text makes no distinction by nationality. For the wider benefits discussion, see our report on the benefits overhaul.
Frequently asked questions
Are the WW and WIA cuts cancelled?
The cabinet says it is taking the previously announced WW and WIA cuts, together with the cut to the allowance for the partially disabled, off the table to make room for talks with employers and unions. Reforms are still planned: Jetten says the need for them has not gone.
When do the talks start?
A first start-up conversation with the social partners is planned at the Catshuis on Wednesday 7 October 2026.
Did the unions get what they wanted?
Jetten rejected that image, saying the unions themselves say they want to negotiate seriously about getting more people to work and preventing dropout through illness. He also said the unions suspended their actions.
How will the cabinet pay for it?
Jetten said savings should come out of the agreement; any shortfall that remains will be covered, in the spring or at next year’s Budget Day, within expenditure.
🇳🇱 Dutch Corner
| Dutch | Meaning |
|---|---|
| De WW (werkloosheidswet) | Unemployment benefit |
| De WIA | Disability benefit scheme |
| De bezuiniging | The cut, saving |
| De sociale partners | Social partners (employers and unions) |
| De polder | The Dutch consultation model |
| De vakbond | Trade union |
| Het sociaal akkoord | Social agreement |
| Het startgesprek | Start-up conversation |
| De sociale zekerheid | Social security |
| Het verdienvermogen | Earning capacity |
Sources
- Rijksoverheid, 2 October 2026: Letterlijke tekst persconferentie na ministerraad 2 oktober 2026 (all facts and quotes in this report, from Prime Minister Jetten’s statements)
More on The Dutch Daily: benefits overhaul 2026 · box 3 and small savers
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