Informal care is the unpaid care you provide to a family member, friend, or neighbour with an illness, disability, or age-related complaints. This care can be demanding and time-consuming. Therefore, there are legal rules and support measures in place to help informal carers.
Recent changes in legislation regarding informal care
1. Widening of leave arrangements
The Work and Care Act (WAZO) grants caregivers the right to leave, such as emergency leave, short-term and long-term care leave:
- Short-term care leave This entitles you to a maximum of two weeks’ leave per year, during which you will retain 70% of your salary. This applies, for example, in the event of a family member requiring urgent care.
- Long-term care leave For long-term care situations, you can take six weeks of leave. This leave is unpaid, unless otherwise stipulated in your collective labour agreement. Since 2024, long-term care leave has become more flexible: you can now also take it by the hour instead of only full days. This offers informal caregivers more scope to better combine their work and care responsibilities.
- Bereavement leave In the event of a sudden emergency, such as an accident or the hospitalisation of a loved one, you can take immediate short leave. Your salary will be fully paid.
Not quite sure how this works for you? It’s important to talk to your employer and discuss the options together.
2. Compensation for workers
There are plans to better support low and middle-income informal caregivers through tax benefits and allowances. For example, this includes looking at increased tax relief for working informal caregivers. See the changes on Rijksoverheid.nl.
3. More rights for informal carers in collective agreements
Increasingly, specific agreements are being made in collective labour agreements (CLAs) regarding *mantelzorg* (informal care for loved ones), such as retaining a portion of wages during care leave. Check your CLA to see if any specific agreements have already been made. If nothing is included in the CLA, you can always start a conversation with your employer.
Your input on new regulations:
- Join the conversation via the Works Council (OR): Do you have any ideas on how to improve policies that support informal carers? You can make your voice heard through the Works Council. For example, they can put forward proposals to make flexible working hours or working from home more feasible.
- Contact interest groups: Through caregiving organisations like Mezzo, you can share your experiences. These organisations hold discussions with policymakers to implement improvements.
- Join a trade union Trade unions such as De Unie are committed to workers’ rights, including informal care. Trade unions ensure that informal care remains a key topic in collective bargaining negotiations.
What can De Unie do for you?
De Unie is here to support you if you’re having trouble balancing work and caring for a loved one. Our specialists can help you with:
- Advice on your rights and leave arrangements.
- Support with conversations with your employer.
- Strengthening your position in collective labour agreement negotiations.
Do you have any questions? Please contact us on 0345 851 963 or send an email to sc@unie.nl. Become a member and make use of our knowledge and support. Together we are stronger!
