FNV, CNV, FBZ, NU’91 and LAD have agreed with the NFU to split the inflation compensation payment in two. On January 1, UMC employees will receive a 6% structural raise. The remainder (4 percent) will follow on November 1.
Compensation for inflation
When the collective bargaining agreement for UMC staff was concluded last year, it was stipulated that employers would fully offset this year’s inflation against next year’s wages. NFU recognizes this agreement and the determination of the inflation figure (11.3 percent), but it has become known in recent months that no one could predict the sharp rise in prices at the time and that it would cost the UMC too much money.
Elise Merlijn, director of FNV Zorg & Welzijn: “Under pressure from the unions, the NFU submitted a significantly higher offer. This will compensate for some of the loss of purchasing power in the short term”.
The novelty is that the salary increase applies to all employees who are included in the CAO-UMC. “Thanks to this agreement, we have avoided different agreements for groups of employees,” says Merlijn: “This is more important to us than being right.”
Longer in uncertainty
In the latest round of negotiations a few weeks ago, the NFU tried to please the unions with a proposal to pay all UMC employees a one-time payment of 1,000 euros this month and to structurally raise wages by 5% from January 1 2023. The unions did not agree.
In recent weeks, the unions have prepared a lawsuit against the NFU for non-compliance with the collective agreement. Merlijn: “If we had gone to court, many employees would remain in uncertainty even longer.”
Clarity for Christmas
“These were difficult negotiations, but it’s great to be able to provide clarity to our employees before Christmas and a lawsuit was avoided,” says Karen Kruijthof, negotiator on behalf of the NFU.
Co-negotiator Gabriel Zwart says the deal will cost a lot of money: “It will have a major impact on UMC’s financial situation. In the interests of our employees, we have explored the outer limits of what is still financially responsible.”
Three of the five unions will present the negotiated agreement to their supporters in the coming weeks.
