Below you will find the key points.
Validity term
The CLA is valid from 1 April 2023 to 30 March 2024 and applies to the 64,000 employees working in the university sector.
Wage increase and one-off payment
All employees will receive a 9% wage increase as of 1 August 2023, which will be paid out along with the August salary. Employees will also receive a one-off payment in September, in accordance with their salary scale. The one-off payment for full-time employment is:
- €1,200 gross for employees with the sectoral minimum hourly wage
- €1,000 gross for employees up to scale 9
- €800 gross for employees from scale 10 and PhD candidates
The one-off payment also applies to student assistants with a CLA contract. If you have an irregular work schedule, the payment will be based on the average number of hours you worked in the past three months. If you receive Wajong benefits, your employer can withhold the one-off payment if it is in your best interests.
The one-off payment does not apply to claimants, on-call workers, pupils or employees who receive a statutory minimum (youth) wage.
Year-end bonus in November
You will receive the end-of-year bonus for 2024 in November.
More permanent contracts for lecturers
Universities will increase the number of permanent jobs for lecturers. Within three years, the number of lecturers on temporary contracts as a percentage of academic staff, comprising professors, university (head) lecturers and lecturers, should be reduced to 13.5%. Currently, the number of temporary contracts in that group is around 15%.
Good Friday exchange
To accommodate the religious beliefs and practices of our staff members, employees will be able to request paid leave for important religions holidays in exchange for Good Friday as of 2024. This includes official holidays, such as Keti Koti and Eid, as well as socialist holidays, such as Labour Day. Employees are free to decide which days they want to take free within this framework. Your birthday is not considered a holiday and/or a memorial day. If you work part-time and do not work on Good Friday, you will not receive a compensation day.
The final definition of a holiday and/or memorial day will follow later.
Gender transition leave
The new collective agreement will introduce (partially paid) gender transition leave for doctor’s and psychologist’s appointments related to diagnostics, medical transition and/or hormone therapy during the transition period. What this leave will look like will be announced later.
Development days
From 1 January 2024, development days will be extended from two to three days. You can use these days for training and development as part of the Recognition and Rewards programme and/or sustainable employability.
Vitality Pact
As of 1 August 2023, the percentages of continued payment in the Vitality Pact up to scale 7 will be increased to 90% in the 0.2 variant (20% less work) and 80% in the 0.4 variant (40% less work). This applies to both new and current Vitality Pact participants.
Payment of wages during illness
From 1 January 2024, if you are ill, you will receive 100% of your salary in the first year of illness and 70% in the second year. If you still receive 76% of salary on 31 December 2023, you will keep this percentage until the end of the illness period.
Compensation for union members
Unions in the university sector are organising a 'month of union' at the start of the new academic year. If you are not yet a union member, you will receive an appealing offer to join. Employees who join during the 'month of the union' will be reimbursed half of their first annual membership fee, with a maximum of €100 per employee.
More information will be provided in September.
