How does it work?

Starting five years before your AOW retirement age, you are allowed to submit a request to reduce your working hours per week by one or two days. With a full-time employment contract, you can choose one of two versions:

• Version A  

  • You receive special leave for 0.2 FTE, retaining 85% of your gross salary.
  • You have a work week of 32 hours, four days of 8 hours. 
  • The basis for accrual of pension entitlements and social insurance will be maintained at 100%.
  • You are entitled to 228 hours of vacation per year.

• Version B

  • You receive special leave for 0.4 FTE, retaining 70% of your gross salary.
  • You have a work week of 24 hours, three days of 8 hours. 
  • The basis for accrual of pension entitlements and social insurance will be maintained at 100%.
  • You are entitled to 171 hours of vacation per year.

With a part-time contract, the reduction in working hours and vacation hours is calculated proportionally to your total contract hours.

Terms and conditions

Participation in the Vitality Pact is subject to a number of conditions, including the following (see the collective labour agreement):

• You will reach AOW retirement age in five years or less.
• You have been working for the university for at least 10 years without interruption.
• Your scope of working hours per week is 19 hours per week (0.5 fte) or more. If you work less than 19 hours a week you are not eligible for a work-time reduction on the basis of the Vitality pact. If the scope of your working hours is less than 25.08 hours a week (0,66 fte) you are only eligible for the work-time reduction as set out in Version A.
• You have at least 50% of your original contract at the age of 58.
• You have at least 50% of your original contract in the calendar year before participation. This also applies in case you have switched from version A to version B.
• Participation in the vitality pact ends at least on the day the employment contract ends and the day participating employee reaches the AOW retirement age, or in the case of long-term disability at least after nine months.

Accrued leave and leave savings

The total amount of regular accrued leave may not initially exceed one year’s worth of accrued leave. Then you need to use it up before you start using this arrangement.

Participation

You have to ask your supervisor or mandate holder for this special leave at least three months before the desired start date. You can fill in the form to apply for the arragement in Serviceplein. In this Knowledge item the procedure is explained step-by-step.

PSSC Service point can give you more information about the arrangement.