If you’re on secondment, you often work side by side with permanent colleagues. So it’s only natural to ask: should you be paid the same as someone on a permanent contract? And what about pension, travel expenses, working from home allowance and leave? In this blog, we explain what the rules are and what you should look out for – and what De Unie can do for you.
Secondment: who is your employer and who determines your salary?
With secondment, you usually have an employment contract with the seconding agency (or temporary employment/intermediary company). This is your formal employer. In practice, you work for a client (the hirer). For the law, you are then a “posted worker” – this is what the Act on the Allocation of Workers by Intermediaries (Waadi) is about.
the law contains equal treatment regulationsa seconded employee is entitled to the same terms and conditions of employment as an employee employed by the hirer in an equal or equivalent position, unless otherwise agreed in a collective labour agreement.
In short:
- your payroll is paid by the employment agency.;
- but the salary must be in line with what the client pays their own employees in the same role;
- cao’s by the temporary employment agency and the client will fill that in further.
Equal treatment, temporary agency worker pay and equivalent terms and conditions
Tenant incentive (currently the starting point)
For many temporary employment and secondment arrangements, the hirer's pay applies (via collective labour agreement). This means that if you do the same work, you must not receive less than a permanent colleague at the client's organisation in a number of important areas. Consider:
- Period-bound in the scale;
- ADV/ATV compensation;
- Allowances (evenings, nights, weekends etc.);
- periodicals and pay rises;
- certain cost reimbursements (such as travel expenses);
- Home working allowance and year-end bonus (explicitly added in most recent broadcasting collective labour agreements).
The objective: Equal pay for equal work, and prevent unfair competition on working conditions.
To “equivalent terms and conditions of employment”
From 2026, you will increasingly see the term 'equivalent remuneration' appearing in collective labour agreements for temporary and agency workers: not just wages, but the total package (wages, allowances, leave, reimbursements, training opportunities, etc.) must be at least equal in value to what a permanent employee at the client company would receive.
That does not mean that every detail must be identical, but it does mean that you should not end up worse off overall.
Which collective labour agreement applies: that of the secondment agency or the client?
There are usually two collective labour agreements at play:
- Director of the employment agency
This document outlines your salary structure, pay grade, pension scheme, holiday entitlement, any mobility arrangements, homeworking policy, and so on. If you are covered by a temporary employment agency or secondment collective labour agreement (CLA), it will often detail how the hirer's remuneration or equivalent terms and conditions of employment must be applied. - Rate or conditions of employment of the client
This determines what a permanent colleague in your role would earn and what employment conditions would apply. Your recruiter needs this information to correctly scale your remuneration.
Important to know:
- The law and the Waadi lay down the basis: do not pay below the level of the client for the same work.
- The directors may deviate from this to a certain extent, but only in the manner permitted by law.
- In practice, it can sometimes be difficult to tell whether your temporary employment agency is correctly applying the client’s remuneration or equivalent terms and conditions of employment. That’s where De Unie can help you.
And the secondary benefits?
Pension
You usually build up a pension via your employer's scheme (for example, a temporary employment pension or a specific secondment pension fund).
You are not automatically entitled to the client's pension scheme unless it is agreed in your collective labour agreement or contract.
As a pension is a large part of your total remuneration, this is an important point to check and, if necessary, negotiate.
Travel expenses and home working allowance
In many collective bargaining agreements, the 'inlenersbeloning' / 'equivalent remuneration' also includes:
- travel expenses allowance;
- Home working allowance for structural home working.
This means that if you are in the same situation as permanent colleagues (same travel distances, same home working arrangements), you are in principle entitled to comparable compensation. The precise details will depend on the collective labour agreements that apply to you.
Leave
Legally, you are always entitled to a minimum of 4 times your working hours per week in holiday hours per year.
Extra (above-statutory) leave, senior days, additional public holidays or leave savings schemes are laid down in your collective labour agreement recruitment agency or in your contract.
Through equivalent employment conditions, you see that some secondment agencies use additional leave or a project allowance to align with the client's package.
Practical tips: how to check if you're sitting correctly
1. Get a clear picture of your situation
- Ask your employer which collective labour agreement applies to you.
- Enquire with the client under which function and grade your work will be classified.
- Whether your employment is formally classified as temporary staffing, secondment, or payroll determines the exact rules that apply.
2. Compare your salary with permanent colleagues
Look at your payslip to see your gross hourly wage or monthly salary, and what bonuses and allowances you receive.
Compare that with:
- the client's contractor;
- the salary scale in the job description or vacancy text;
- information that colleagues voluntarily share with you (salary remains private, so ask about this carefully).
Don't just look at the gross salary, but also at:
- allowances (irregular work, shift work, call-out duty);
- structural allowances (travel expenses, home working allowance);
- End-of-year bonus;
- Pension and leave.
3. Make a list of negotiation points
Write down:
- where you fall behind in relation to a permanent colleague;
- what you want to equate at a minimum (e.g. salary, travel expenses, home working allowance);
- which alternatives are acceptable (e.g. slightly lower salary but more leave or training budget).
4. Discuss with your secondment agency (and, if necessary, the client)
Explain calmly that you work in the same role as permanent colleagues, but there is a visible difference in pay.
Refer to the rules on equal treatment / hirer remuneration and – if relevant – to the collective labour agreement provisions.
Ask specifically for:
- adjustment of your scale or step;
- top-up payment if the reward has been too low;
- addition of secondary conditions (e.g. travel expenses or home working allowance).
5. Switch on De Unie
Are you unsure whether you’re being paid fairly, or are you getting stuck in discussions with your agency or client? De Unie can:
- to check my employment contract and payslip;
- to explain the applicable collective labour agreements;
- calculating with you what fair compensation is;
- support you in the conversation with your employer;
- If necessary, take legal action to enforce your rights.
Our Service Centre can be reached every weekday from 8:30 AM to 5:00 PM by emailing sc@unie.nl or calling 0345 851 963.
