29. Employee benefits

The non-current employee benefits comprise:

• obligations relating to defined benefit plans;

• liabilities arising from early retirement schemes (RVU scheme);

• other long-term employee benefits, including long-service awards and disability benefits.

Pension liabilities

The staff of the NS Group companies are covered by the pension plans of the following pension funds. The table also shows the numbers of active members.

Railway and Public Transport Pension Fund pension plan (defined contribution plan)

The pension plan for the railway industry is administered by the Railway and Public Transport Pension Fund (Pensioenfonds Rail en OV). As of 1 April 2020, the Railway Pension Fund (Spoorwegpensioenfonds) merged into the Railway and Public Transport Pension Fund. The plan qualifies for recognition in the financial statements as a defined contribution plan. A fixed annual contribution, which is expressed as a percentage of the pensionable earnings, has been agreed in advance with the Railway and Public Transport Pension Fund. In 2023, NS paid the nominal pension contribution of 25,5% to the pension fund. Two-thirds of the pension contributions paid to the Railway and Public Transport Pension Fund are paid by the company, and one-third is paid by the employees. After payment of the agreed contribution, the company has no obligation to pay additional amounts should there be a deficit in the pension fund. The actuarial risks and investment risks are borne by the pension fund and its members.

At the end of 2015, the Group made new agreements with the pension fund for dealing with the contribution build-up that came into effect on 1 January 2016. The employee portion of the contribution build-up (one-third of the amount) was settled in full with the employees at year-end 2022. The employer’s part of the contribution build-up (two-thirds of the amount) has been added to the lump-sum payment for wage increases and will be credited to the pension costs up to 2035 (note 28).

The Servex supplementary pension scheme is a defined contribution plan. Abellio London & Surrey (discontinued operations) was also subject to defined contribution plans.

Industry pension funds (hotel and catering, food, metal and engineering)

The basic pension for each employee is covered by multi-employer funds in which other companies also participate on the basis of legal obligations. These funds have an indexed average salary scheme and are therefore defined benefit plans. Since these funds are not equipped to provide the required information on the Group’s proportionate share of the pension liabilities and plan assets, the defined benefit plans are accounted for as defined contribution plans. The Group is obliged to pay the predetermined contribution for these plans. The Group is not allowed to recover any surplus. The Group cannot recover excess payments and is not obliged to make up any shortfall except through adjustment of future contributions.

The participants affiliated to the Metal & Technology Industry Pension Fund are employees in NS Stations' bicycle parking and repair locations, who joined NS as of 1 October 2023.

Defined benefit plans United Kingdom

Abellio Greater Anglia, Abellio ScotRail, Abellio West Midlands, Abellio East Midlands and Abellio Transport Holdings have arranged for pensions for their staff to be administrated by the Railways Pension Scheme. The fund in question can be considered as a company pension fund and the pension plan as a defined benefit plan. As a result of the termination of the ScotRail franchise on 1 April 2022, the pension liabilities have been transferred to the new franchisee.

Every company is a designated employer for one or more cost-sharing agreements within the Railways Pension Scheme. Such cost-sharing agreements are geared to a lifelong pension. The amount of the pension depends on how long an employee was an active member of the pension plan and on their salary when leaving the plan (final salary plan).

Because of the nature of the cost-sharing agreements, the amounts payable to cover both the costs of the accrued pension entitlements and any shortfall between the value of the assets and the value of the pension liabilities are borne jointly by the employer and the contributing members in a ratio of 60% to 40% respectively. As a consequence, the employer recognises 60% of the total pension costs and pension liabilities in the balance sheet. The Railways Pension Scheme is administered by the Trustee, the Railways Pension Trustee Company Limited. The plans’ assets are invested via investment funds, each with a different risk and return profile.

To reflect the nature of the franchise, the shortfalls between the pension liabilities and the pension assets for Abellio Greater Anglia, Abellio ScotRail, Abellio East Midlands and Abellio West Midlands have been included in ‘Non-current liabilities’ to the extent that they concern the term of the franchise. The remaining amount at the end of the term of the franchise is not recognised in the balance sheet because it will constitute part of the debts of the next franchise holder. At year-end 2022, the net liabilities were nil. At year-end 2022, the average term for both pension liabilities was about 20 years.

In determining the pension costs, only the costs that are expected to be borne by the franchisee (the Group) during the term of the franchise are recorded in the income statement. These net pension costs are therefore calculated while taking into account the part of the costs that will be borne by the employees (40%) and by other parties after the end of the current term of the franchise. This net calculation also takes into account any allocation within the term of the franchise that may possibly occur in connection with the triennial assessments during the term of the franchise, as well as any adjustments to the annual contributions over the term of the franchise. The pension costs are recognised under Result from discontinued operations.

Since 31 May 2022, Abellio UK has been presented as assets and liabilities held for sale. The sale transaction was completed on 28 February 2023, after which Abellio UK is no longer included in the consolidation. The note on the UK defined benefit pension plans therefore concerns Result from discontinued operations/Assets held for sale.

The pension liabilities and the pension assets are based on actuarial calculations that were performed as at 31 December 2022. At year-end 2022, Abellio Transport Holdings Limited's net liability was nil, presented as Liabilities held for sale. No actuarial calculation took place on 28 February 2023. Given the handling of the scheme, the impact on results and equity in this period is limited.

Basic assumptions for defined benefit plans

The following assumptions were used for determining the pension liabilities and the pension assets (based on a weighted average):

Table for life expectancy as of 31 December 2022: S3NA tables with CMI 2019 projections plus long-term expectation of +1.25% per year.

Breakdown

The breakdown of the pension liabilities is as follows:

Movement

The changes in the pension assets and liabilities are as follows:

Breakdown of pension assets

The breakdown of the pension assets is as follows:

Pension costs recognised in the income statement

Unrealised actuarial gains and losses

Other liabilities

Early Retirement Scheme

The temporary Early Retirement Scheme (RVU) was introduced in 2021. Employees who are employed and who reach the statutory retirement date before 1 January 2028 may retire a maximum of three years earlier, in which case an amount of €22,164 gross will be paid out in either monthly instalments or as a lump sum. In 2022, this scheme was extended by one year (before 1 January 2029) and increased to €24,444 for the scheme to take effect from 1 January 2023.

This scheme is regarded as a so-called ‘post-employment’ plan, whereby the service costs are recognised through the income statement and the unrealised actuarial results through the statement of comprehensive income.

Movement in other liabilities

The changes in the provision were as follows:

Early Retirement Scheme

To calculate the Early Retirement Scheme (RVU) liability, the AG2022 forecast table is used.

The service costs as a result of plan adjustments in 2022 are related to the increase in the benefit amount and the extension of the scheme by one year, which result from the collective labour agreement.

The actuarial result that has been recognised through the statement of comprehensive income is caused in 2023 by a change in estimates with regard to the probability of participation in the early retirement scheme. In 2022, this result was caused by a change in market interest rates, an adjustment in the mortality table and a change in the estimates regarding the probability of participation in the early retirement scheme.

The sensitivities are as follows:

Long-service award obligations

The AG2022 mortality table is used for the calculation of the long-service award obligations.

The sensitivities are as follows:

Disability obligations

This concerns a commitment for:

• a CLA supplement for incapacitated persons employed by NS, paid by the Foundation for the Promotion of Labour Participation on Incapacity for Work (Stichting ter Bevordering van Arbeidsparticipatie bij Arbeidsongeschiktheid) until 2023. From 2024, NS will pay out this CLA supplement. The scheme in question is closed to new participants;

• A reintegration allowance paid by NS to a group of work-disabled people.

The AG2022 mortality table is used for the calculation of the disability obligations.

The sensitivities are as follows: