Frequently Asked Questions Collective Labor Agreement

No, not yet. The negotiating parties have a collective agreement. This will be followed by the adjustments from the CLA agreement in the current CLA text. Once the negotiating parties agree on these adjustments to the CLA, the final CLA text will follow and can be signed. The CLA will then be registered with the Ministry of Social Affairs and Employment (SZW).

The cao applies with retroactive effect from 1 January 2024. NB: not all of the agreements reached have a starting date of 1 January 2024. The cao text specifies the date from which an arrangement takes effect. For example, the compensation for commuting expenses starts on 1 October 2024.

The term of this collective agreement runs from 1 January 2024 to 31 December 2025. By that time, new CLA negotiations will have begun. 

On May 1, 2024, your current salary will be increased by 4%. On July 1, 2025, your salary will be increased by another 3%(maximum €192 gross). By the end of 2025, you will then earn 7.12% more in collective wage increases compared to the beginning of 2024 (as the 3% is calculated over the now higher amount).

Collective negotiation involves negotiating the entire package of employment conditions. Salaries are part of this. Salaries at umcs are considerably higher than elsewhere in the healthcare sector. Moreover, independent research shows that salaries are comparable to those in companies and the government. It is also good to look at what you have left over net; at umc's you pay less pension contribution (30%) than in general hospitals (50%), for example. The collective agreement of NVZ hospitals also has a different duration than the collective agreement for the umc's.

While the world is anything but certain, experts are not expecting any extreme inflation. If that does happen, then a consultation will be arranged with the unions to discuss the developing situation. Their employees’ purchasing power has always been an important point for the umcs, and it will continue to be one. 

Everyone received a 4% salary increase on May 1, 2024, but the amount is never higher than 4% of the maximum salary in scale 11. Are you in a higher salary scale? Then the increase is a maximum of €246 for a full-time position.

You are eligible for this allowance if you meet the following conditions:

1. you are employed at the UMC and have a salary in one of the scales from 1 to 10 of Appendix A, Appendix Aa, or a scale from Appendix D,
2. you are required to wear the work clothing (complete outfit) provided by the UMC during your work, and
3. you are required to pick up and return the clothing at a clothing distribution point before and after working hours, meaning you have to change clothes within the UMC.

It is an allowance for the time and effort involved in changing clothes, as the clothing must be picked up and returned at the UMC before and after work. This is mostly due to hygiene regulations. Therefore, clothes must be changed within the UMC. For example, if you only wear a white coat over your regular clothes, this is not considered changing clothes under this regulation.

The allowance is €80 gross per month. This amount applies to people with a full-time job. If you work part-time, the amount is proportional, depending on the number of hours you work. From scale 11 onwards, preparation time before a shift is considered to be included in the salary. This threshold is the same as the threshold for overtime.

The changing allowance is intended to compensate for time and effort. Simply wearing a white coat over your regular clothing does not qualify for this allowance under this regulation. The changing allowance applies only if you need to change clothes within the UMC due to hygiene reasons and cannot wear this clothing at home.

The allowance is €80 gross per month. This amount applies to people with a full-time job. If you work part-time, the amount is proportional, depending on the number of hours you work.

From scale 11 onwards, the preparation time before a shift is considered to be included in the salary. This threshold is the same as the threshold for overtime.

The regulation will take effect 3 months after the final collective agreement. There is a collective agreement as of 1 April, effective from 1 July 2024. Employees will receive information about this from their own umc in due course. This will also clarify to whom the allowance for changing clothes applies and how it should be applied for/processed. 

Waiting in a queue for your clothing or having to walk a long distance is annoying. That is why each umc will be examining how this will work in practice. The outcome will be used to see what improvements are possible. 

No, this time does not count. Changing clothes occurs outside of working hours, and the allowance compensates for the time involved.

If there is a change in position where you no longer meet the criteria to qualify for the allowance, then the allowance will be discontinued.

Arranging the commuting allowance takes a lot of time. Umc's need to set up or adjust a system to pay out the reimbursement and must map out the travel distances of employees.
 

Sometimes you prefer to travel to work by public transport and sometimes by bike or car. The mode of travel can therefore vary daily. One type of transport is reimbursed per day. From January 1, 2025, you can make a daily choice for either public transport reimbursement or a mileage reimbursement.

We calculated what we could spend on commuting costs within the total budget available for the collective agreement. For now, 18 cents per kilometre has been calculated. We will see if we can increase this in the coming years to the maximum amount that the government allows tax-free (currently 23 cents). But as an umc, we also have a responsibility to contribute to reducing CO2 emissions by, among other things, reducing environmentally unfriendly transport by (petrol or diesel) car. We therefore promote the use of bicycle or public transport and reimburse 100 per cent of public transport. 

For shorter distances, cycling is a good (and healthier) alternative. And if you live very close, you can come and walk.
 

Yes. Even if you walk or come by bicycle, you will receive the allowance. 

That is determined per umc based on the situation on site.

Yes. The arrangement for business travel has not changed.  

By far, the majority of employees live within that distance (single journey) from their work and can thus make the most use of the arrangement. If you live further away than 40 km, we advise you to investigate whether it would not be better to use public transport.

Yes. This remains possible even with the new arrangement. It means that your travel expenses will be deducted from your gross salary so you pay less tax.

Each umc makes its own agreements about a parking policy with its employees. This is the only possibility as the situation is different in each one. For example, the number of available parking places differs widely. It is important to have enough parking places for our patients and their visitors as well. Furthermore, some umcs have their own parking garage, while others have to rent one from a commercial party. The local authority policy also differs regionally.  

Unfortunately, umcs also have to deal with transgressive behaviour: between staff or caused by patients or visitors. A 'zero tolerance policy' applies to cross-border behaviour. Attached to the collective agreement is a protocol indicating the measures each umc is obliged to take. It must be immediately clear to you as an employee where you can turn, should it occur. And you must be convinced that every complaint is dealt with seriously. We want a safe working environment for all our employees.

If you are an older employee and reach the state pension age within a maximum of five years, you can choose to start working 80% while being paid 90% and your pension accrual will continue as if you just kept working 100%. However, you must have worked at an umc for the last eight years to qualify for this and continue working at least 60%. For the purposes of the generation scheme, an 'older employee' means an employee who will reach the state pension age within a maximum of five years. Please note, it is possible that within your UMC there is (still) a local generation scheme in effect in which different agreements have been made that comply with the collective labor agreement framework. For more information, consult your own UMC.

The generation scheme will be available to employees in all umc's by 1 July 2024 at the latest. Existing individual agreements with employees on participation in already existing local generation schemes will continue to be respected, provided the minimum framework is met.

If the current generation scheme does not meet the minimum framework, the generation scheme will be amended.

Yes, it has been agreed that medical specialists can also make use of the generational policy. Above scale 14, a 80-80-100 arrangement applies. You can choose to work 80%, while retaining 100% pension accrual. The agreement for medical specialists applies throughout the entire duration of the cao. In the meantime a study will be done into the working conditions for medical specialists, as included in Chapter 15 of the cao. Part of this is the generational policy for medical specialists in all phases of life.

You get the option of saving leave for when you need extra leave during your career. That way, as an individual, you have more freedom of choice in ensuring a better work-life balance. You can accrue extra leave up to 100 times the number of hours you work per week. You can use the holiday hours you have left at the end of the year, but also your end-of-year bonus, your holiday pay, your overtime or your extra hours at the end of the year. Also the leave you had already accrued before 1 January 2024. Balance leave does not expire, you can only take it in time. If you want to take balance leave, you must inform your manager in good time. 

You can save for balance leave. This means you can accumulate time up to the fiscally allowed maximum of 100 times the weekly working hours, in order to work less or not at all temporarily at any stage of your career with the aim of achieving a better work-life balance. For example, because you want to take it a bit easier during a specific period, or want to make a beautiful trip. Within the fiscal limits, you can save balance leave from:

•           the year-end bonus,

•           holiday allowance,

•           extra statutory vacation hours,

•           extra hours per the end of the calendar year, and

•           overtime.

You should take your balance leave as much as possible before starting your participation in the generation scheme. If you make use of the generation scheme, you will work fewer hours per week until your retirement. Due to fiscal limits and to avoid undesirable fiscal consequences, you should take as many of your balance leave hours as possible before starting the generation scheme.

You are allowed to take balance leave in a limited manner while using the generation scheme. Fiscal limits apply here. In total, the combination of the generation scheme and balance leave may not result in you working less than 50% of your original working hours. If you have many hours of balance leave, it is advisable to take this leave before starting your participation in the generation scheme.

The intention is that the leave is taken as much as possible as time off. If this is (partially) not possible, the remaining balance will be paid out.

The agreement applies retroactively from 1 January 2024. The exact details of the retroactive effect are currently being worked out for each umc. For questions about this, it is best to contact your own HR administration department.

There are standby shifts (you can be called in if required), on-call shifts (you are already on hand in the umc for such situations), and now there are off-site availability shifts. For these, you must be accessible and quickly available to work in case of a calamity. Off-site availability shifts are meant for colleagues who do not have a healthcare job (for example, IT department staff). 

Many arrangements (incorporated in Chapter 15 of the cao) originated in the era that the standard pension age was 65 years. That is no longer the case. The statutory pension age is, per 1 January 2024, 67 years. People have to keep working for longer. Given that background, it makes sense to revise the arrangements. In practice, this means, for example, that a medical specialist will have to work shifts for several years longer. This will lighten the shift load for younger colleagues a bit, which will have a positive effect on their work/life balance.  

For example, if you are aged 58 or 59 years, then you could have expected to stop working shifts in the near future, while retaining the financial benefits. That is now going to change. This will only take effect from 1 January 2026. Eventually, the age will go up from 60 to 62, but we will do so in phases. At the same time, during the term of this CLA, we will look at the whole of Chapter 15 regulations.

During pregnancy and up to six months after childbirth, you are not obligated to work evening and night shifts. Your irregular shift allowance will be adjusted according to your actual shift pattern during this period. This provision also applies to academic medical specialists.

If you were required to come to the UMC at least twice or worked for more than two hours during an on-call, presence, or standby duty between 00:00 and 06:00, you are entitled to at least 8 hours of rest after your duty ends. If you were scheduled during these hours, they count towards the annual hours norm and will be paid out. This provision does not (yet) apply to academic medical specialists.

For scientific researchers employed under the collective labor agreement as specified in article 2.4.5 clause 4 sub a cao umc (which applies to researchers whose positions are exclusively or predominantly funded through project-based, temporary financing), the employment contract can be extended upon the request of the employee during (additional) parental leave and paid parental leave. The condition is that the extension must not exceed the legally maximum allowable duration for temporary employment contracts. This duration is a maximum of 48 months and up to three employment contracts, as stated in article 2.4.5 cao umc.

Example 1: You have been employed for three years as of January 1, 2025, with two contracts of 1.5 years each. From July 1 to October 1, 2024, you take additional parental leave and paid parental leave. You can request an extension of your employment contract by three months until April 1, 2025. Such an extension is within the maximum allowable duration of 48 months, as specified in article 2.4.5 clause 4 sub a cao umc.

Example 2: You have been employed for four years as of January 1, 2025, with contracts totaling (1 x 2 years, 2 x 1 year). From July 1 to October 1, 2024, you take additional leave and paid parental leave. Your employment contract cannot be extended by three months starting January 1, 2025, because the legally maximum allowable duration of 48 months will have already been reached by that date, as mentioned in article 2.4.5 clause 4 sub a cao umc.