2 July 2025

On Tuesday, July 1, a preliminary negotiation agreement has been reached on the collective labor agreement for Dutch Universities 2025-2026. This includes agreements made about a structural salary increase and one-off payments, equal pay for men and women and a professional development and career mobility fund. Social safety and work pressure are also important issues.

Main changes in brief:

• Wage increase: as of July 1, 2025, wages will increase structurally by 2%, plus €100 gross per month. The wage increase and raise must be paid no later than October 2025.
• One-time payment: all employees employed by universities on July 1, 2025 will receive a one-time payment of €350 gross for full-time employment no later than October 2025.
• Equal pay for men and women: CLA parties are committed to reducing pay differences between men and women. They are working on pay transparency and defining ways to make improvements at each institution.
• Employability Fund: an Employability Fund will be set up with the aim of supporting university employees in their professional development and career mobility in times of cutbacks. The fund will provide temporary extra financial resources to universities to help and guide employees in their sustainable development and in finding new opportunities within or outside academia.
• Social safety and work pressure: CLA parties want to take further steps in improving social safety and work pressure to enable employees at universities to work safely and healthily.

Follow-up

The CAO parties still need to present this bargaining agreement to their constituencies. The collective bargaining parties aim to decide by July 23, 2025 whether this negotiation result will be converted into a final agreement. The impact of the new agreements on Leiden University will then be mapped out and, where necessary, a plan of action will be drawn up for their implementation. Should a CAO agreement be reached, the agreements will still need to be converted into a final CAO text. 

Want to know more? Read UNL's news item on the bargaining agreement or read the full bargaining agreement, with all the agreements.