The new cao and academic medical specialists

A new cao for UMC employees was agreed at the end of February. However, the LAD and FBZ unions announced that they do not approve of this result and that they have more requirements. They announced that they would be taking action on March 19 and 26 in the RadboudUMC and MUMC+, respectively. This has caused many employees to ask questions about the new cao’s elements regarding academic medical specialists.

The UMCs attach great importance to the sustainable employability of academic medical specialists. There is definitely no indication of a “worsening” of working conditions for academic medical specialists or of deliberately excluding specialists in the new agreements. What is the situation then?

The new cao applies to all employees, including academic medical specialists

It is not obligatory for all unions to agree with the result before a new cao is agreed. The vast majority of members of the FNV, CNV and Nu’91 unions approved the negotiation result for a new cao. This means that there is a new cao. The cao applies to all UMC employees, which includes the members of the LAD and FBZ unions and the professional groups that these unions represent. The cao contains a variety of elements that represent progress for medical specialists:

• Academic medical specialists can now save for a ‘leave balance pot’.
• The generational policy remains in effect, with which a medical specialist can work less from five years before retirement age while retaining the same pension accrual (80/80/100).
• Improvement of the commuting expenses compensation: 100% compensation of public transport expenses and an increase in the kilometre allowance from 18 to 21 cents/km.
• The possibility to pay down study debt in a fiscally beneficial way.
• Agreements about social safety, open discussion of menstruation, menopause and fertility, and the decision-making framework for sustainable employability.

The discussion about sustainable employability, Chapter 15 and rest period after a standby shift is still continuing

In a reply to the LAD and FBZ unions regarding the content, the UMCNL stated that the UMCs can envisage possibilities to discuss a number of topics further that are important for all parties concerned. This refers to, for example, the next steps to take following on from a joint examination of Chapter 15.

Regarding the implementation of a rest period after a standby shift, the UMCNL and the LAD union have had constructive talks. This resulted in the UMCNL sending a text proposal to the LAD union in early January 2026. We are still awaiting their response.

UMCNL is certainly willing to resume talks with the LAD union about these points and has asked them to return to the negotiation table.

Medical specialists also benefit financially from the new cao

The cao 2026-2027 contains the agreement that employees’ wages will increase by 3.5% twice during the period of the cao. The wage increase has a maximum limit of the scale maximum of scale 14. This means that for employees in higher salary scales, the wage increase will be a maximum of €10,310 gross. To be clear: that is more than the gross wage increase for all other employees.

This maximum wage increase applies to medical specialists, as well as other job positions paid above scale 14. Setting a maximum limit was not a principal choice of UMCNL, it was dictated by necessity in order to reach an agreement. This result is the most that could be offered in a financially responsible way for the UMCs. It allowed us to offer all employees a substantial increase in salary.

There was a wage proposal on the table that would have been the same for all employees. But the unions, including LAD and FBZ, did not approve it. The new cao has now been agreed and contains a balanced package of measures for all UMC employees. It is not possible to resume discussing the current wage agreements.