This change comes from a concept-cao (CLA draft: Collective Labor Agreement draft) that unions and universities have agreed upon. The current end-of-year bonus will be gradually increased. Currently, it is still at three percent, but in 2007 it will increase another 1.9 percent and employees will see in 2008 yet another increase of 1.5 percent. By the year 2009, the bonus will equal the amount of a complete `thirteenth month.' Because of this huge increase in the end-of-year bonus, the increase of the monthly salary pales in comparison: 2.25 percent increase as of January 1, 2008 and an additional 2.1 percent in 2009.
According to the negotiator's agreement, universities are allowed room to experiment with function contracts. Scientists or groups of scientists can make arrangements with their bosses for a more flexible way of dividing their educational and research tasks, freeing them of the static five-day work week.
Out of the total rise in salary of 9.65 percent, exchanging two days off will finance one percent. `As I've thought from the beginning, the raise shouldn't be something out of our own pockets,' says Marieke van den Berg, negotiator for the Abvakabo-FNV union. `The actual increase in salary is 8.65 percent, which is still more than the FNV salary claim of 3.5 percent a year. Employees, who want to keep their two days off, can buy them back with the extra percent.'
Another point of interest in the CLA draft is the protection period for firing will be brought back to twelve months and the notification period to ten months. Agreements were reached in the CLA draft, regarding scientists, who are still without a fixed position at a university. Over the next two years, two thousand euros will be made available per postdoc for career development. With this money, courses can be followed that will increase their chances in the labor market.
The CLA is not yet passed and over the next six weeks, negotiators will further discuss the agreement with their party supporters. Once every party has reached an agreement, the CLA will be passed and be effective from September 1, 2007 to March 1, 2010. The Personnel Department could not give their reaction on the negotiator's agreement. There was not enough time to study it.
