Developing collective bargaining in the care sector WP2 Country Report THE NETHERLANDS

Collective bargaining institutions are important for enhancing working conditions and job quality, as well as for strengthening the attractiveness and the retention capacity of the care sector that is challenged by high turnover and severe labour and skill shortages.
This report about the Netherlands analyses the country-specific structure and characteristics of collective bargaining institutions, collective representation and actors’ actions and strategies in the care sector. It is part of the broader comparative) European research project DEVCOBA.
The research underlying this report confirms the picture in the literature that the regulatory framework of social dialogue and collective bargaining in the Netherlands at least maintains the discussion about quality of care, job quality and the need for better terms and conditions of employment. This study goes further: wages and working hours have indeed been improved in collective agreements, and new labour market programs have been developed in recent years. The quite centralised collective bargaining structures and sectoral agreements in the ECEC (Early Childhood Education and Care) and LTC (Long Term Care) sectors are not that different from each other, but there is more instability and fragmentation in collective representations in the ECEC sector, a sector that is also under high pressure in the context of the government’s
(controversial) intention to reform. Fragmentation between employers and little unionisation is challenging for social dialogue and the development of a collective response in the public debate to reform the childcare sector in the Netherlands. Both sectors are plagued by persistent problems in job quality (especially low wages and high workloads) in times of labour scarcity and growing demands for care provision. Social partners are involved in initiating and implementing labour market programs to recruit new (young) workers and to support sustainable employability (especially through training and education on the job). Improving job quality by renewing the collective agreements, specially regarding wages and greater predictability in working hours, are also being used as policy instruments to make jobs in the care sector more attractive. Further, organisations in the LTC sector are experimenting with technological and social innovations to increase productivity and service quality with fewer people. In the same project (DEVCOBA-WP3), there will be follow-up research in three case studies on tackling labour shortages and improving job quality.