Holland’s Green Left party (Groenlinks) want to cut back on the length of time the jobless can claim unemployment benefit from 38 to 12 months, according to its manifesto for the November election.

Under the proposal, which is part of the party’s election manifesto, those who lose their jobs would be paid 90% of their salary for the first six months and 80% in the second six months. Unemployment benefit is currently based on 70% of average salary.
After a year of unemployment, recipients will have to sign a ‘participation contract’ with their local council and become involved in volunteer work, schooling or work experience projects and will be paid a minimum wage, says GroenLinks.
The party wants to create 150,000 new jobs in the coming four years and reduce the number of people who live in poverty by 50%. Childcare would be free as part of its plans to stimulate employment.
In terms of changes in the tax system, GroenLinks’ manifesto is the most radical of the five major Dutch parties, says Het Financieele Dagblad. The party wants to redistribute €22 bn of the tax burden. Mortgage tax relief would be limited to 30%.
The tax on environmental pollution and capital will go up significantly while work-related taxes would be reduced. And everyone would contribute to pensions and not only those with jobs.
GroenLinks manifesto also calls for an extra €3.7bn for education, in particular for combating the early drop-out rate in secondary schools and higher pay for teachers.