Negotiations for a new collective labour agreement have started (8 April 2013)
On Tuesday, 26 March 2013, the negotiations for a new Collective Labour Agreement (Dutch acronym CAO) started. The employers and unions informed each other of their bargaining position and further explained this.
The employers want to realise an extension of the current CAO by one year (from 1 January 2013 to 1 January 2014) without a salary increase. In 2013, the employers want to complete the study into the modernisation of the CAO. If possible, this will result in the introduction of a personal choice budget that staff can use to make a more individual choice about the balance between vacation and salary, an updating and the rewriting of the CAO and an increased flexibility in the possibilities to appoint people, which must lead to a greater deployability within the organisation. Furthermore, the employers want to realise a study into the future of the BWOI (Superstatutory regulation Unemployment of personnel from Research Institutes).
There is a considerable gap between the proposals regarding salaries. The salary freeze imposed by the Cabinet, the increased salary costs for the employers by more than 1,5% due to the increase in the employer's contribution for pensions and health insurance, and the falling incomes from the research institutes that necessitate cutbacks, have strongly influenced the position of the employers.
The CAO negotiations will be resumed on 22 April. We will keep you informed about the progress in these negotiations.