Pay rise of 9 per cent and fewer temporary contracts in new collective labour agreement

The unions and universities have reached a preliminary agreement on a new collective labour agreement. If their constituencies approve, there will be a 9 per cent structural pay rise and a one-off payment of up to 1,200 euros from 1 August.

FNV Onderwijs en Onderzoek (the Dutch trade union for education and research) says the outcome of the difficult negotiations is ‘quite good’. According to negotiator Jan Boersma, there will be ‘a substantial wage increase that is desperately needed, especially for workers in the lower scales, to help cover the ever-increasing cost of living’.

Just short of target

Back in April, FNV and the other unions demanded a pay raise of 14 per cent, but that ‘wasn’t going to happen’. According to FNV, they ‘narrowly missed’ their goal to fully compensate for the decreased purchasing power for the lower scales.

To accommodate the employees in these scales, all university staff earning the minimum hourly wage of 14 euros will receive a one-off payment of 1,200 euros. This figure has been set at 1,000 euros for scale 9 and lower, and at 800 euros for scale 10 and higher.

Flexible pool

Furthermore, the flexible pool of temporary contracts for academic staff will be reduced to 13.5 per cent within three years.

The negotiators will submit the agreements to their members. A decision on whether the agreement will be converted into a new collective labour agreement will be made by 26 July. This agreement will have a term of 15 months: from 1 April 2023 to 30 June 2024.