Netherlands (NL)

Employment
Wages
Working Time
Leave
Social Insurance
Health and Safety
Trade Union Influence
Minimum Standards
Trade Union Participation

Employment

80,000 workers are employed in agriculture and horticulture. They are highly qualified. Until a few years ago temporary workers were mainly Moroccans and Turks. For a few years now they have been replaced by Polish workers. In January 2007 access restrictions for Polish workers were abolished. In 2006 45,000 Polish workers worked in the Netherlands. The number of illegal employees is estimated at 10,000.

Part-time work plays a major role in agriculture in the Netherlands. Temping agencies are using about 200,000 Dutch women and students working between 15 and 20 hours a week and another 200,000 workers.

table International Comparison of Employment

Wages and Labour Costs

There are national collective agreements. Mainly for agriculture/livestock management, horticulture in greenhouses, outdoor horticulture, agricultural contracting, plus about 30 smaller collective agreements.

Seasonal workers are paid € 9.23/h in their first year and € 9.60/h in the second year. Temporary workers get the statutory minimum wage of € 1,300 in the first year and 1.017 % more in the second year. Youths, pupils and students get the statutory minimum wage when they are 22 years old. When they are younger, e. g. 15 years old: 40 % of the minimum wage, and at 21 years 90 % of the minimum wage (annual increments).

80 % of the companies comply with collective agreements, 50 % of the workers are covered by collective agreements.

table International Comparison of Wages and Labour Costs

Working Time

A 38-hour week has been agreed as the annual average. 9 hours of work per days are allowed for ten weeks per year. A spread between 33.5 and 55 hours per week is possible. Company agreements may allow for a balancing scheme of 15 weeks with 6.5 hours per day.

table International Comparison of Working Time

Leave and Paid Holidays

5 weeks / 25 days have been agreed. Workers over 57 years get one annual holiday extra. After 10 years in one company workers get one extra holiday, after 20 years two extra holidays per year. For special occasions (e. g. birth of a child, death of a close relative) and situations (family care leave) there are special provisions.

table International Comparison of Leave and Paid Holidays

Social Insurance

There is a statutory pension insurance which pays a minimum pension that is currently € 11,000 per year for singles and € 16,500 for married couples. The calculation basis is the statutory minimum wage. Additional insurance under collective agreements makes it possible after 40 years of insured employment to get up to 75 % of the last salary as pension through a pension fund.

Health insurance is a private scheme. Employers pay 6.5 % of the wage into the system.

Unemployment insurance covers workers for 38 months. From the 1st to the 3rd month 75 % of the wage are paid, and then 70 % up to the 38th month.

The accident insurance is a mandatory insurance financed by the welfare insurance contributions of employers and employees.

Occupational Health and Safety

In 2006 there were 5 fatal accidents in agriculture in the Netherlands (thereof 3 involving children). In the Netherlands statistics do not distinguish between work accidents and private accidents. The health and safety at work standards have been softened by the law, which led to a deterioration of accident prevention.

In the companies there are health and safety officers (prevention). They are specially trained.

Any person handling toxic materials needs an according qualification certificate.

table International Comparison of Occupational Health and Safety

Trade Union Influence

The degree of unionisation is 10 %, the trade union is present in 200 companies. The unions can reach 40 % of the employees. For some time now the unions have tried to increasingly recruit migrants as members. One step in that direction is to hold special office hours for them.

table International Comparison of Trade Union Influence

Minimum Standards

The statutory minimum wage is index-adjusted on January 1 and July 1 every year.

table International Comparison of Minimum Standards

Trade Union Participation

The union is involved in the participation system in social security matters, in health and safety at work matters just in a prevention scheme. A model of participation similar to the chambers is "stichting voor arbeid".

table International Comparison of Trade Union Participation

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