Negotiations about new cao will continue in January
The Netherlands Federation of University Medical Centres (NFU) and the unions will continue their discussion about a new cao for umc employees in January. That is the outcome of today’s discussion (Thursday, 7 December 2023). No concrete agreements have been reached as yet. The current cao expires on 31 December 2023; the existing working conditions remain in force until the new cao has been approved.
The NFU had expected that substantial proposals from the unions could be discussed today, in response to the improvements presented on behalf of the umcs on November 17, but unfortunately that did not happen. The five unions remained practically unmoved from their earlier proposals, including the section about wages. In response, the NFU-negotiator Gabriël Zwart stated ‘that the unions’ wage demand bears no relation to the specific situations of the umcs but rather is based on the average for the Netherlands’. About the proposals as a whole, co-negotiator Karen Kruijthof said, ‘The sum total of all wishes does not match the leeway that the umcs have in any way. We cannot dispense more than what we have available.’
The NFU has asked the unions to come with a proposal in January so that progress can be made. Regarding the themes, the NFU can envisage areas of overlap with the outcomes of the dialogue sessions held with the umc employees. The NFU’s proposals contain measures to promote the vitality of the employees (expansion of the possibility to save up leave, a generational policy and longer maternity and parental leave), better travel expenses compensation, a one-off payment and a wage increase in 2024 that supports the employees’ purchasing power together with the 10.24% raise in 2023.
