Collective agreements in the Netherlands Wike Been Supported by the European Commission, DG Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion, VP/2018/004/0008

PRINCIPAL CHARACTERISTICS OF COLLECTIVE BARGAINING IN THE NETHERLANDS Key features   2000 2016/2017 Actors entitled to collective bargaining Trade union(s) together with employers’ organization(s) Importance of bargaining levels Mainly sector level (10-15% company level) Favourability principle / possibilities to derogate from (cross-) sectoral agreements Yes, by means of requesting dispensation at the responsible government department Collective bargaining coverage 82% 80% Extension mechanism (or functional equivalent) Yes, legal extension by the Ministry of Social Affairs and Employment (15% of coverage resulsts from it) Trade union density 23% 18% Employers’ associations density 85%

CA’s 1100 (250 sector, 850 company) Publicly available (online) Duration: 6 months – 5 years, average 23 months Legal extension max 2 years Expired = continuing validity, but legal extension ends

Topics Wage clauses Quasi-mandatory occupational pensions regulated through CA’s In about half of the CA’s statutory benefits are topped up (pay during sickness, disability arrangements and unemployment benefits) But also: working hours, vacation days, leave, work&care, health & safety (92%), a la carte regulations (53%) etc.