What do these acronyms mean?
Going to work in a foreign country means not only a fantastic adventure, but also a bit of stress associated with being in another country, around different language and in an unfamiliar place. In addition, there is local labor law, which very often differs from one you are used to in your home country. You may feel a bit lost in this whole other world, but that’s what you have Eurojob for – we handle all the technical stuff. Being already in the Netherlands, if you do not understand something, you can always count on the help of coordinators who will explain everything to you and help you get through any complexities. Below, we present a short cheat sheet explaining the acronyms and slogans that appear frequently in job offers.
What is a CAO?
A CAO is a collective labor agreement, i.e. a type of agreement concluded between employers and employees. In practice, these are agreements often concluded between groups of employers and trade unions. They define all the rights and obligations of both sides. In the Netherlands, there are two types of CAO in the temporary employment sector – ABU and NBBU. It is the CAO that regulates the issues of sick pay, days off from work, the amount of salary (and its equality with regular employees), the issue of working hours and the rules for reducing them. It is good to know both your rights and obligations. At Eurojob, we are obligated by the ABU CAO. The detailed content of the document can be found here: ABU CAO English
What is ADV?
This is a popular financial allowance for work with irregular hours. It is based on your regular salary and added to each hour of your work, making the salary slightly higher. There are companies that are more popular among temporary workers because of ADV.
What is SNF?
SNF – Stichting Normering Flexwonen – (Foundation for flexible housing standards). It is an organization that inspects accommodation intended for temporary workers. The Dutch solved the issue of housing for temporary workers legally. They established norms that all have to follow in order for quality of life to be satisfying. A company entered in the SNF register must meet certain standards in the following areas: living space and privacy, sanitary facilities, health and safety conditions, equipment, fire protection. For you, this means that you can be sure that your corporate accommodation is at a good standard and is safe. Every year, the company undergoes an audit, on the basis of which the SNF certificate is being extended. You can find our certificate here: SNF Certificate Eurojob
What is youth wage?
This is something young people do not like… Youth wage is a legally regulated system under which a Dutch employer can pay an employee under the age of 21 a significantly lower salary. Some companies look at the year you were born while calculating their salary, when others use their exact birth date. There are also companies that give up youth wage to attract more young people to work.
That’s all!
We hope that now these acronyms are crystal clear to you and are no longer an obstacle in reading and understanding job offers.
