This agreement includes a wage increase of 3.7% as of 1 September 2024. On 1 January 2025, wages will increase by another 1.0%. Staff members who are employed by a Dutch university on 1 September 2024 will receive a one-off payment of €300 gross, on the basis of full-time employment. The pay structure will be adjusted in scales 1 to 7 and the junior scales will be abolished. Furthermore, universities and unions have reached agreements on how to address social safety and workload. The CLA is valid until 30 June 2025.
Negotiated Agreement for Collective Labour Agreement (CLA) for Dutch Universities 2024-2025
Universities of the Netherlands (UNL) has reached a negotiated agreement with the employee organisations regarding the collective labour agreement for Dutch universities.
Working together
Universities are currently in a financially uncertain situation due to the new cabinet's announced cuts and the expected decline in student numbers. Among other measures, the Dutch government is structurally cutting the universities’ budget by over €500 million. Despite these uncertain financial times, universities want to stand by their staff. That is why, with this collective agreement, wages will increase, first by 3.7%, and then by 1.0% in 2025. With this responsible wage agreement, employers and unions are expressing their willingness to work together to address the challenges facing our sector.
Social safety
Universities and unions are jointly committed to improving social safety at universities. This issue deserves continued attention. Creating a socially safe working environment requires a cultural shift at universities. The CLA parties therefore agreed, among other things, that universities will invest in raising awareness, create a central hotline at each institution, and evaluate the ombudsperson position in the autumn of 2024. These are additional measures, alongside the steps universities are already taking.
Workload
In addition, the CLA parties want to take the next step in tackling workload, by linking the causes of workload in a more structured way to appropriate solutions at all levels of the universities. The Dutch Labour Inspectorate's report, the sector report on workload and the health and safety catalogue provide a basis for this. The CLA parties also stress the importance of taking leave to rest and manage work pressure, and will launch a campaign to reduce workload in the coming CLA period.
Timeline
Trade unions and employers will consult with their constituencies in the coming weeks. The outcome of these consultations will be announced after 23 July, and, if the outcome is positive, the CLA parties will start implementing the agreements and drafting the new CLA texts.