Collective labor agreement
In the Netherlands, there is no labor code that would universally regulate the terms and conditions of employment in every industry. The role of the legislator has been taken over by trade unions that look after the interests of employees. These trade unions create collective labor agreements – the so-called Collective Labor Agreement that are tailored to each industry. A trustworthy, reliable employer is part of the relevant Collective Labor Agreement. For you, this means that you can feel confident when traveling with such a company, because your rights are guaranteed and will certainly be respected. Eurojob is part of the ABU CAO. What does it mean for you, as an employee going to the Netherlands with us?
What is regulated by the CAO?
Collective labor agreements regulate the issues of employment and remuneration of employees. In the Collective Labor Agreement, you will find detailed information on the minimum wage, duration of the contract, working time, components of payment, termination, sickness rules, overtime settlement, and issues relating to the reimbursement of travel costs or accommodation standards. Why is it worth you to know about this? Well… it’s good to know your rights. Then you can actively protect them if the need arises.
Benefits for the employee
The most important advantage of working in an employment agency that belongs to the collective agreement is the full transparency of the terms of cooperation. How is it useful for an employee? He can verify the issues bothering him at any time, as it is legally regulated. Before you go abroad, you can check the rate, the maximum number of working hours per day, the length of breaks during work, or information about your entitlement to reimbursement of travel expenses or accommodation guidelines. This is cool because you don’t have to rely on trusting strangers from the agency – you have a specifics which the agency must stick to.
I am not going without CAO
In the employment contract, the employer should include information about the applicable collective agreement to which the employee is subject. If the temporary employment agency with which you want to go to work in the Netherlands does not belong to any Collective Labor Agreement, or says that it does, but cannot indicate a specific one… then do not go with this company. The issue of compliance with the collective labor agreement is very important. It is your safety and a guarantee of respecting your rights on many levels (financial, accommodation, overtime). It is simply an indicator that is easy to verify before going abroad – it clearly says whether a given agency is trustworthy or not.
