De Unie, in your interest

Your collective labor agreement and industry

MN: Negotiation result collective labor agreement and social plan

December 23 2024

De Unie reached a negotiation result for a new collective labor agreement and social plan as of January 18, 1 at MN on Thursday, December 2025. This collective labor agreement has a term of 1 year. In this message, we share with you the improvements in the employment conditions. This does require a majority of our members to vote in favor of this result. 

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In this post we outline:

  1. The run-up to the result
  2. A summary of the most important changes and improvements to your employment conditions
  3. Further explanation about the result
  4. Stemming

 

1. Approach

The starting point of our efforts was our proposal letter, which was drawn up following an inventory among our members. At the time, we also asked about the desired wage. Our commitment was 9%, which would correct all purchasing power deficits and the expected inflation for 2025 in one go. In addition, the members advocated for an extension of the social plan, which would expire on 1 January 2025. The wish for a more generous leave scheme was also expressed several times. The individual results are given below.

2. Summary

  • Structural wage increase of 3% as of January 1 and 1% as of July 1
  • Social plan extended by one year until 1-1-2026
  • Liberation Day May 5, every year off
  • The day after Ascension Day is always free from now on
  • An extra structural day off, to be spent as you wish
  • RVU remains possible in 2025 and is the subject of research for 2026 and beyond
  • Bereavement leave is tailor-made with guarantees and this has now also been formally better arranged
  • Choice budget and reward policy are subject of research for 2026 and beyond
  • Home work allowance is in line with tax relief
  • Meal allowance to € 15,-
  • Improved objection procedure and working agreements regarding job evaluation following the implementation of the new job house

3. Explanation of the result

Loon
Let's start with the moderate news. After tough negotiations, the salary increase ultimately amounted to 3% structurally as of January 1 and another 1% as of July 1, 2025. For the year 2025, this is an effective salary increase of 3,5% on an annual basis, but as of July 1, an effective increase of 4% on the current salary. We attach great importance to also allowing redundant colleagues to benefit to a large extent from the increase. Unfortunately, we have to face the fact that this increase does cover the expected inflation of 2025, but there was no room for correction of the loss of purchasing power in recent years. Given the reorganization and the objectives of MN, the employer was not prepared to go further than 4%, even after tough negotiations.

Social plan
Our aim was to extend by at least one year. We succeeded. The current social plan will continue to apply in 2025. However, the intention has been expressed to work together in 2025 on a simpler social plan for 2026 and beyond. However, we have already indicated that simpler is different from austerity. And as far as we are concerned, simpler does not mean worse for colleagues. But anyway, for the time being the current social plan will continue to apply.

Leave of absence
Because we found the wage increase too moderate, but also understood that the wage costs should not exceed 4%, we started looking for alternative improvements. The challenge was to make it possible for the employer to arrange the target organization competitively. On the other hand, we felt that something else should be offered to the employees. We found that in a number of extra days off. From now on, in accordance with the wishes of De Unie Liberation Day, 5 May annually a day off. The day after Ascension Day is also always a day off from now on. And finally you get an extra day off, which you can spend 'freely'.

A day off represents a value of plus minus 0,4%. That does not apply to May 5, because you are already off on May 5 once every five years and because May 5 can fall on a weekend. That is why this day represents a value of approximately 0,2%. Together, these new extra days off still represent a structural value of approximately 1%.

Early Retirement Scheme
The RVU will continue to be applicable in 2025. In addition, it has been agreed that we will examine in 2025 whether, and if so, in what way we can continue the scheme from 2026 within the new legislation. Unions have indicated that they will not rule out the scheme in advance in the event of amended legislation. However, it may be that we will have to look for a good alternative from 2026.

Funeral leave
At the request of De Unie the clause on bereavement leave has been adjusted to what was already actually applied by the employer. Bereavement leave of your loved ones cannot be captured in an exact number of required leave days. In practice, appropriate leave was already granted in consultation, but it also happened that an employee felt compelled to report sick. The text in the collective labor agreement now changes from a cold approach (focused on what rights you have) to a passage that better explains the intentions of MN. After all, bereavement leave is custom work. Incidentally, the original rights continue to explicitly exist in the regulation.

Choice budget
De Unie has asked to investigate whether an Individual Choice Budget (not to be confused with your IOB, which is focused on development) contributes to a higher experience value of the employment conditions. This is because you can decide for yourself what to do with that budget. For example, a possible budget can be used for one colleague in a tax-friendly way to repay his student grant. While someone else would rather buy extra leave with it, or simply have it paid out at a time of his choosing in the calendar year in question. The employer has promised to explore this further together with the trade unions in the term of 2025.

Fees
The employer has promised to apply the scope that the tax authorities may still offer for expanding the home work allowance, immediately. In addition, any meal allowance will be increased from €1 to a maximum of €12,50,- with effect from 15 January.

Others
With regard to job evaluation (classification of jobs), the texts have been carefully adapted and tested against the agreements that the unions previously made at a national level via a covenant with the 'system inventors', Korn Ferry Hay. The objection procedure can also pass our test. Next year, the employer wants to make agreements with the unions about the remuneration policy. This cannot be otherwise, because any proposal quickly becomes related to the collective labour agreement.

Vision of trade unions
De Unie finds that there is a balanced set of benefits. Of course there is a gap between what we asked for and what the result is. Whether the result is good enough, the members with Complete or Extra membership will determine! When a majority of the members vote in favor, there is a collective labor agreement and extended social plan. If the members vote against, we will discuss together what actions can be taken.

The other union is more principled in its interpretation of the result on a large number of points. Because not all their wishes have been honored, they do not speak of a result, but consider it as a final offer made by the employer. According to De Unie insufficient justice to the negotiations and the result that is presented. The employer has also never submitted a final offer. There was tough negotiation until the end. In every negotiation it is a consideration whether what is offered is sufficient, compared to what we have asked for. In this the opinion of De Unie itself in relation to the other union and we respect that.

Questions/comments?

If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to ask them. You can do so with one of the CAO framework members, Mireille Beelen, or Julen Hernández Kraaij, or with the advocate Joop Voesten. If you want to read the negotiation result, click: hereYou can download the accompanying attachments here to open.

4. Mood

Members with a Complete or Extra membership have received an invitation to vote. They can vote until January 15, 2025. We hope that the entire set of measures will provide comfort to cast a balanced vote. If there is a need for an additional member information meeting, please inform the lobbyist Joop Voesten via joop.voesten@unie.nl

 

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