Membership registration is open
From today you can register as a member online. Once the contribution has been paid, the board approves your application.
Read more →
Independent interest group
Our pension stands still.
Our pension stands still.
We do not.
Swift* promised its former employees a good pension. In practice, the insured pension has been virtually standing still for years. At the same time, Swift barely communicates. Time to organise ourselves.
Objective
The association represents the interests of pensioners, surviving dependants receiving a partner's or orphan's pension, and future pension beneficiaries of Swift and affiliated companies in the Netherlands, in the areas of pension, indexation, execution of pension schemes and provision of information.
1% indexationin 7 years
On 1 January 2025, an indexation was awarded for the first time since 2018: 1%. In practice, for some pensioners that increase is not visible in the pension being paid out: the indexation is deferred until the age of 68 is reached, even though the pension is already in payment. No active announcement has been made to pensioners, and annual pension statements (UPOs) are incorrect or incomplete. In the six years before that, nothing happened — despite Swift's own stated ambition to index in line with the CPI. Groceries, energy and healthcare costs keep rising; the paid-out pension barely does. This erosion of our purchasing power calls for a collective response.
The figures
What prices did. What Swift did.
Inflation according to Statistics Netherlands (CBS) alongside the indexation applied by Swift. For seven years the pension has barely moved; over that period official CPI prices rose by nearly 30% in total.
Source: Statistics Netherlands (CBS; CPI, October–October). Swift indexation per calendar year.
What is left? More than a fifth has evaporated.
Someone who received a €100 pension in 2018 can only buy €77.90 worth of groceries with it in 2025. That is a loss of purchasing power of 22.1% — in just seven years.
Calculation: nominal Swift pension value, divided by the cumulative CPI price level (CBS), with 2018 as reference (100). With a 29.7% rise in prices and a 1% rise in pension: 101 ÷ 129.66 = 77.9 — thus a 22.1% loss of purchasing power. This is not the same as the simple difference (30% − 1%): purchasing power is a ratio, not a subtraction.
And in the broader pension landscape?
Swift often states it does not have the means to index. Yet Swift is a financially healthy company. It therefore appears to be more a policy choice not to make those means available. The broader pension landscape shows how it can be done. Below, the average of a selection of large Dutch pension funds, plotted against Swift over the same period. Together these funds cover millions of pensioners and include both a major general fund and corporate pension funds from the financial sector — comparable to Swift's working environment. Pension funds operate under a different legal regime than an insured arrangement, but they are the best-documented benchmark for what is standard in the Netherlands when it comes to protecting purchasing power.
Average increase for pensioners at a selection of large Dutch pension funds. Figures from public indexation decisions and annual reports. Where exact figures per fund per year were unavailable, 0% has been assumed conservatively.
The issue
An insured pension without indexation is a shrinking pension.
Our pension is placed with an insurance company. Unlike many pension funds, indexation — the annual adjustment for inflation — is not automatic. The nominal amounts remain the same, but the value we actually get out of it decreases every year.
What makes this especially bitter: Swift itself has stated the ambition to adjust the pension to the Consumer Price Index (CPI). In practice, that ambition has not been realised for years — a promise on paper that never reaches the pension being paid out.
On top of this, Swift does not proactively contact its pensioners. Those who raise a question individually sometimes receive a reply. Those wishing to lodge an objection find no clear point of contact. Actively maintained contact with one's own pensioners is something you may reasonably expect from an employer who has committed to your pension. We want to break that silence.
What is a single letter for one pensioner becomes a file for an association.
Our focus
What the association stands for.
The association does not try to tackle everything at once. We have deliberately chosen two topics where the impact on pensioners is felt directly.
Indexation of the pension
We hold Swift to its own ambition to index the pension, so that our purchasing power is preserved as much as possible.
Open communication with Swift
Pensioners deserve a permanent point of contact within Swift and clear information about decisions that affect them. That is a role we want to play.
Why an association
Six reasons why together delivers more than alone.
An association is more than a social club. It is the vehicle through which pensioners organise themselves — legally, substantively and administratively. Where individual action stalls, an association pushes through.
01
Legal weight
A collective can pursue proceedings that are too costly or too complex for an individual.
02
Recognised counterpart
Insurers and employers are more likely to listen to an organised group than to scattered letters.
03
Combined expertise
Our founders and members include former HR managers, works council members, directors, and line managers from Swift. Their case-file knowledge and experience benefit everyone.
04
Shared costs
Advice, research and any proceedings are affordable when we bear them together through membership fees.
05
Politics and media
An association can join umbrella bodies such as the Dutch Association of Pensioners (Koepel Gepensioneerden) and attracts attention more easily from the press and politics.
06
Continuity
Individual initiatives fade over time. An association endures and builds a body of work across the years.
Frequently asked questions
What you want to know.
A few questions we have already encountered several times. Is your question not listed? Send us a message — we are happy to answer.
About the association
What is VG Swift?
VG Swift is an association representing the interests of pensioners, surviving dependants and future pension beneficiaries of Swift in the Netherlands. We advocate for your pension interests, with indexation and communication as our first priorities. The association has now been formally established: the articles of association have been executed and registered with the Chamber of Commerce.
Who is behind the initiative?
The board consists of former employees with diverse backgrounds in HR, governance, management, and works council experience. That combination brings legal, organisational, and communications expertise.
What do you want to achieve concretely?
Two short-term goals: hold Swift to its own ambition to index the pension in line with the CPI, and establish a permanent point of contact within Swift for pensioners with questions or objections. In the longer term, we want to become a recognised counterpart on all pension matters that affect former employees.
About joining
Who is this association for?
For former employees of the Dutch office of Swift and their surviving dependants. Our work focuses on the Dutch pension contract — a specific arrangement, held with a Dutch insurer, governed by Dutch pension and employment law.
Belgian and other international former colleagues hold different pension arrangements and for that reason cannot act as co-claimants in any potential legal action. We wish them all the best and hope they find or start a comparable initiative elsewhere.
What happens after I register?
You register through ‘Become a member’ at the top of this website. You first receive an e-mail to confirm your address; you then transfer the contribution. Once it has arrived, the board approves your application — usually within a few days — and you are notified and have access to the members’ area with news, documents and your own details.
Am I committing to anything?
No. Membership can be terminated at any time; the notice period is set out in the articles of association. Registering commits you to nothing further.
How much does membership cost?
The membership fee for 2026 is € 30. In this first year the board has set it itself: you only become a member once you have paid, so there are no members yet to hold a general meeting with. From 2027 the general meeting sets the fee, on the board’s proposal, as the articles of association require. Please pay only after registering through ‘Become a member’; you will then see the payment details. The fee covers the association's start-up costs, such as notary and Chamber of Commerce fees, running costs such as web hosting, and will hopefully leave some budget for a first round of legal advice.
Can I support the association without becoming a member?
Yes. You can support the association with a donation, once or every year, without becoming a member. This may suit, for example, current Swift employees, family members of former employees, or former employees without a Swift pension who support the initiative. A donation does not make you a member and so carries no voting rights. How to donate is explained under Become a donor.
Can I help build the case file?
Yes, please. We are building a file on the pension issue at Swift. Do you have old letters, emails, or other pension correspondence — for example about the CPI ambition, indexation decisions, or changes to the scheme? Send us a copy. The more documentation we gather, the stronger our position at the table.
I live outside the Netherlands. Can I still join?
Yes. The association represents all former Swift Netherlands employees, regardless of country of residence. Communication is by email and WhatsApp, both reachable from abroad. For important votes, digital participation will be available.
About risks and concerns
Am I taking a risk by joining?
As a former employee: no. You no longer have an employment relationship with Swift; joining a representative association is a normal civic right. Comparable associations exist at many Dutch employers and are part of the pension landscape. Current employees who are considering joining: please contact us first for a conversation about the practical side.
What does the association do with my data?
We only process what you provide yourself. We do not share anything with Swift, advertising parties, or other third parties. If we engage a legal adviser, we will tell our members. Before we share any personal data with that adviser, we ask for your consent. Full details are in our privacy statement.
Join us
Will you join us?
Become a member through this website, or get in touch first. The more former employees join, the stronger our position will be.
Membership
Becoming a member
Registration is open. Fill in the form, confirm your e-mail address and transfer the contribution (€ 30 for 2026). The board then approves your application.
Support us
Become a donor
Advice, research and any legal proceedings cost money, and we carry that together. Would you like to give our initiative extra support — as a member on top of your contribution, or as a donor without being a member? Every amount helps, once or every year.
NL82 ABNA 0157 9281 79
in the name of Vereniging Gepensioneerden Swift, quoting ‘Donatie’ and your name
You do not need to register to make a donation. Want to become a member? Please register first through Become a member and pay the contribution afterwards. A transfer without registering does not make you a member.
Become a member online on this website; the board
reviews your application and you will hear from us by e-mail.
See our privacy statement for how we handle your data.