The unions and the universities in the Netherlands have reached a temporary agreement for a new collective labour agreement. If the parties’ respective supporters approve, there will be a structural wage increase of 9 percent as of August 1st, as well as a one-time lump sum at a maximum of 1200 euros.

Union FNV Education & Research states that the results of the hard negotiations are ‘pretty good’. According to negotiator Jan Boersma, there will be ‘a solid wage increase, that is especially necessary for employees at the lower end of the scale, to help cover the ever-increasing cost of living.’

Falling short

FNV and the other unions demanded a 14 percent increase back in April, but that was unfortunately ‘not in the cards’. According to FNV, they ‘fell short’ of completely covering for the loss of purchasing power for the lower salary scales this year.

However, to meet those employees halfway, university staff working for the minimum hourly wage of 14 euros will receive a one-time lump sum of 1200 euro. Those in the wage scales up to nine will receive 1000 euros, and those in scale ten or higher will receive 800.

Flexible pool

Another result of the negotiations is that the flexible pool of temporary contracts for science personnel will be reduced to 13.5 percent in the next three years.

The negotiators will be presenting the proposed deals to their supporters. The decision to accept the deal for the new collective labour agreement will be made on July 26^th at the latest. The agreement is set to last for 15 months, from April 1^st, 2023, through June 30^th, 2024.

Translated by Jasper Pesch