Vopak Staff to Strike if Pay Offer Not Improved

Workers at oil storage firm Vopak will take strike action if the company does not make an improved pay offer as part of a collective bargaining agreement by Monday, a union official said on Friday.

The CNV Vakmensen union informed the company on Tuesday after talks aimed at securing an improved agreement for workers broke down, union spokesman Gijs Dupont told Reuters.

"We sent them an ultimatum on Tuesday, as we must under Dutch labour law. It expires at 00.01 on Monday morning," he said. The union's demands include jobs guarantees and a 3 percent pay rise for staff.

The union would decide what form industrial action should take and which parts of Vopak it should affect in consultation with staff if the deadline passed with no new offer, he said.

A spokeswoman for Vopak said the company could not immediately comment on the contract negotiations or any potential strike.

Reporting By Thomas Escritt