UMC employees are getting a new cao. The members of four of the five unions involved have approved the negotiation result achieved on February 16. The unions had until March 18 to canvas their members’ opinion. Now it is just a question of signing it, and then the new cao is officially a fact. The agreements apply to all umc employees.
One of the five unions – the LAD – stated that it did not agree with the present negotiation result. In particular, it was not happy with the working conditions for medical specialists. It is now exploring whether there is support among its members if certain adjustments are made. It will discuss the outcome in the near future with the Netherlands Federation of University Medical Centres (NFU) that conducts the cao discussions on behalf of the umcs. Depending on the outcome, the LAD will or will not co-sign the cao. The NFU strives for the most broadly supported cao and hopes that all parties will ultimately approve it. But even without the LAD’s signature, this cao will be implemented.
The cao is valid through 31 December 2025. It includes agreements about commuting travel expenses, salary raises and compensations. Various agreements have also been made to support health and vitality: additional free time, the possibility to save hours ‘for later’, and each umc will have a generational policy. In addition, every umc is obliged to work on reducing and preventing unwanted behaviour.
On 1 May 2024, wages will increase by 4%, followed by another 3% in 2025. And compensation for changing into work clothes forms part of this cao. The starting dates of the different schemes vary because time is needed to work out the practical details in some cases. If no other date is specified, the cao applies with retroactive effect from January 1 of this year.
The NFU and the unions are still polishing off the definitive cao texts. The NFU will soon publish the new salary tables on its website.
The LAD union has now also approved the new cao umcs. On March 29, the members of the LAD agreed with a revised proposal of the NFU. The NFU is happy that there is an agreement that all of the unions approve of.
The LAD was not able to agree with the negotiation result previously because of changes proposed in chapter 15 of the cao. That chapter covers certain working conditions for medical specialists. The changes specifically address:
- Shifting the threshold of the maximum age for shift work from 60 to 62 years.
- Linked to it the average working time of 40 hours from the age of 60.
- The period of rest of 8 hours after a standby shift at night.
The NFU and the LAD have agreed for the duration of the cao to closely examine all of chapter 15. This means that the implementation of the shifting of the age threshold for shift work is postponed to 1 January 2026. That also applies to the associated average working time of 40 hours. In addition, the NFU and LAD will elaborate the implementation of the 8 hours of mandatory rest after standby shifts during the course of the cao.
The revised text of the negotiation result now goes to all of the unions for signing. The NFU will publish the definitive cao texts and the new salary tables on its website soon. The cao applies through 31 December 2025. Unless other dates are specified, the cao applies with retroactive effect from 1 January 2024.