Collective agreements are crucial for the majority of workers in the Netherlands, sometimes maybe even more than statute law. For example, some important conditions of employment (such as wages) are not covered by statute and depend on collective agreements. It is also true that statute law often only provides for a minimum level of protection. There are nearly one thousand sectoral and company collective agreements in the Netherlands.

Equality bargaining in collective agreements is well developed, with equality of opportunity being dealt with by provisions such as affirmative action, part-time work, pregnancy, childbirth and parental leave, childcare facilities. sexual harassment and remuneration

Collective Employment Agreement (CAO) of the Dutch Universities
1 June 2000 – 31 May 2002 

A number of the provisions of this agreement, made between relevant unions and the Association of Cooperating Dutch Universities, are relevant to women and equality in employment:

• Article 2.4 deals with sexual and other forms of harassment, aggression, violence and discrimination and requires the employer shall draw up a code of behaviour. The Code should be based on recommendations of local consultative bodies.
• Article 3.1 deals with measures to reinforce the recruitment and retention of academic talent within universities. This particularly concerns the provisions of collective agreements on the participation of disadvantaged groups. Within this context, special attention must be paid to the inward and upward flow of women to higher positions.
• Under article 3(2) local consultations with the employees’ organisations must take place regularly at each institution. A number of matters must be discussed, which includes:
  • the promotion of women to higher positions; and
  • the combination of care and work (including the problem of child care).
• Article 5.4 requires employers to establish a policy on categories of employees with disadvantages in the labour market. Special attention must also be given to the position of women in the university work force, with regard to both the appointment policy and the facilities for combining paid work with tasks in the care sector.
• Article 5.5 sets out requirements for the employers’ to develop a policy on recruitment and careers for women. Recruitment of women on the labour market is seen as one way way of preventing and solving problems of labour shortages. The policy of stimulating the recruitment of women should be reflected especially in the announcement of vacancies, recruitment advertisements and the selection procedure. The policy of stimulating the promotion and career development of women is aimed primarily at placing women in a proportional number of the senior positions. Policy on part-time work, the use of parental leave, facilities for study and training, etc. are also to be evaluated for their effect in increasing the recruitment of women, their promotion to higher positions and their career development. During the development of this policy, there must be consultation with local employees’ organisations and the policy and the results achieved must be regularly evaluated.