Unions and employers agreed on a new collective agreement on childcare. It was decided to increase the wages by 7.9 percent on average this year and by 4 percent next year. The collective agreement is valid for one and a half years, from 1 January 2023 to 30 June 2024.
“It was very important for our members to raise wages because of very high inflation,” says Deddy Dorenbos of the FNV union. “Now that we have agreed on this issue, it gives us the opportunity to continue discussing issues such as job pressure and major staff shortages.”
waiting lists
“With this new collective agreement, we offer better prospects for anyone who already works and wants to work in childcare,” says Loes Ypma, president of the BMK employers’ association. Currently, approximately 117,000 people work in child care.
Childcare is already understaffed, often with waiting lists for a place. Demand for childcare is expected to increase further in 2025 as the cabinet wants to make it nearly free by then. From January 2025, the government wants to pay 96 percent of the so-called maximum hourly wage.
workload
Collective bargaining was halted in November as unions were not satisfied with the employers’ final offer. After a petition signed by the unions and a playful poster campaign, negotiations resumed late last month.
According to the FNV union, the workload in childcare has been high for years. The staff feel that they devote too much time to management and therefore little time to children. “Sometimes they even have to run a dual administration. FNV Director Deddy Dorenbos recently said they need to keep a diary of everything that happens, and many parents expect constant updates on what their kids are doing and eating via WhatsApp groups.”
Source: NOS
Roy Brown is a renowned economist and author at The Nation View. He has a deep understanding of the global economy and its intricacies. He writes about a wide range of economic topics, including monetary policy, fiscal policy, international trade, and labor markets.
