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Dear Mr./Mrs.,
Perhaps you already know me, but I would like to take the opportunity to introduce myself. My name is Frans Everts and I recently became the new president-directeur of Shell Netherlands.
Over the past 33 years, I have worked in a variety of roles at Shell. In my most recent role, as executive vice-president for Corporate Relations, my responsibilities included Shell’s global communications. In my new role, my efforts will include working with partners not only to deliver today’s energy but also to make ever cleaner energy accessible to the whole of the Netherlands.
I am writing this to inform you about the steps we are taking to change our current pension system.
New Act passed
After years of negotiations, the new Future Pensions Act (Wet toekomst pensioenen, Wtp) was passed in the Senate on 30 May 2023. The Act came into force on 1 July 2023. This means we have to work together to implement the Act in the coming years, and by 1 January 2028 at the latest. The government believes it is important for everyone to have a good pension in the future, including generations to come. This does not work well with the current system. Therefore all pension schemes in the Netherlands will need to be updated, and Shell’s pension scheme is no exception.
What will change?
In any case, what will not change is that Shell considers pension to be one of the most important parts of our employee benefits. Together with the Central Works Council (CWC), we will therefore agree on a good new pension scheme for everyone. In doing so, we will, of course, proceed with care, holding constructive discussions with the CWC and other stakeholders, including the board of the pension funds and the association for former employees and retirees (Voeks). Voeks has a right to be heard about the changes. Ultimately, a balanced decision must be made for all stakeholders, including the employer.
We are discussing with the CWC how best to deal with the pensions already accrued by Shell colleagues and former colleagues. These are important decisions that are before us. And these decisions must be made within the legal frameworks arising from the Future Pensions Act. These frameworks aim to ensure a balanced and careful transition.
Stay up to date: get informed
How the changes will affect you personally still depends on many factors, which are still not clear at this point. In recent months, we have worked with the Shell pension funds on www.nieuwpensioenbijshell.nl/en, a website where you can find all the important information on the Future Pensions Act, current developments and possible scenarios for the future. I advise you to keep a close eye on this website to stay informed about your new pension. Newsletters are also regularly sent out by the Shell pension funds. Voeks (the association of former Shell employees) will organize informative meetings for its members in the next few months. Keep a close eye on Voeks for more information. If you haven't registered for Voeks membership yet, you can do so via https://leden.voeks.nl/ (only available in Dutch).
Step by step, we will work together towards a new pension in the coming years, and we will keep you informed of developments through the above mentioned channels.
Kind regards,
Frans Everts
President-directeur Shell Nederland |
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