In this message, we inform you about matters relating to the collective labor agreement, pension, early retirement scheme, occupational health and safety, and we ask about experiences with Artificial Intelligence (AI) at work.
Join now, starting from €0
Cao
Wage tables Part A as of July 1, 2025
Effective July 1, 2025, the scale amounts and actual wages paid in scales 1 and 2 will be increased in line with the percentage increase in the Statutory Minimum Wage (WML) effective July 1, 2025. Pay scales from scale 3 onward will be increased by 1%, taking the WML into account. The new pay tables can be found via the link Pay tables | Working in Contract CateringThis pay increase does not apply to in-flight catering, as they have their own agreements.
Retirement
Did you know that your employer pays half of your pension contributions? Four out of five employees in the hospitality and catering industry don't know this. This is according to research by the Hospitality & Catering Pension Fund (PH&C) among participants in the sector. 67% of people don't know how much their employer contributes, or think it's less than it actually is. Almost 80% also don't know whether their partner or children will receive benefits if they die. Forty-two percent of participants consider their pensions clear and know what needs to be arranged. Yet, more than one in three say they're unsure whether they'll have enough pension to live on. Some people prefer to postpone administration. One in ten even has their partner or someone else arrange their pension. 42% keep their pension information safe so they can find it when needed. PH&C explains pension accrual in a video. Click on Building up a pension: how it works.
RVU
The Early Retirement Scheme (RVU) launched in April 2021 and expires on January 1, 2026, in accordance with the terms of the Contract Catering Collective Labor Agreement and the RVU Act. Since the scheme's inception, 647 employees have applied. After reviewing the conditions and required documents, 2025 RVU applications have been approved up to and including June 298. Three applications are still awaiting a signed employer's statement for final approval. Do you want to retire early? Are you covered by the Contract Catering Collective Labor Agreement and are you within 36 months of your state pension (AOW) date? Then you can apply for an RVU benefit. The RVU benefit period is a maximum of 36 months, with no minimum duration. Want to learn more about the RVU? Visit somethingforyou.now.
An employee can apply for the current RVU scheme until September 1, 2025. If the settlement agreement is signed by December 31, 2025, an employee can retire early under the current RVU scheme, even if the employee actually stops working after January 1, 2026.
The conditions stipulated in the national RVU agreement apply to the RVU scheme after January 1, 2026. These conditions mean that the current RVU scheme cannot be continued. The collective labor agreement parties must first determine the target group for the RVU scheme from January 1, 2026. They must then substantiate the functions with work-aggravating circumstances for the target group using objective criteria. This includes work-aggravating circumstances related to working hours (does this involve working in (night) shifts, or on-call duties), cognitive load (high attention requirements, perception, memory, and decision-making), physical load (lifting and carrying, pushing and pulling, unfavorable working posture), and environmental impact (dangerous conditions, noise, and heat/cold exposure). Once this has been completed, we will submit the substantiation for validation to the TNO Expertise Center for Heavy Work. Their assessment will carry significant weight in the approval of the Ministry of Social Affairs and Employment. The collective labor agreement parties therefore still have some work to do and will make further agreements on this in the upcoming negotiations.
Arbo
What is Arbo? Arbo stands for working in a safe, healthy, ergonomic, and pleasant environment. This prevents the risk of failure. Arbo | Working in Contract Catering Read everything that can help you as an employee and participation to improve working conditions.
AI
Artificial Intelligence (AI) may sound like something for the tech or financial sector, not for a hospitality-centric industry. Yet, AI is also making inroads into the hospitality sector, whether it's in the hospitality industry, (contract) catering, or inflight. It's being used in ordering, food waste management, menu creation, reservations, customer management and service, and (predicting) market trends. The advocate is actually quite curious about experiences with AI and its (im)possibilities in the field. You can email him about this at emanuel.geurts@unie.nl or call 06-5252 2074.
Contact
If you would like to respond to this newsletter or get in touch, you can reach the advocate Emanuel Geurts on 06-5252 2074 or via emanuel.geurts@unie.nl For individual advice you can contact the Service Center department on 0345-851 963, via email sc@unie.nl or the chat function www.unie.nl. We are happy to help you!
