CAOafspraken

Caoafspraken are the terms and conditions laid down in a collective arbeidsovereenkomst (CAO), the collective labor agreement used in the Netherlands and other Dutch-speaking contexts. A CAO is negotiated between employers’ organizations and trade unions and applies to employees within a specific sector or at a particular company. Caoafspraken cover a broad range of topics and serve to regulate working conditions beyond what the law requires.

Typical content includes wages and salary progression, working hours and shift arrangements, overtime rules, vacation days and holiday pay, sick leave and disability provisions, pensions and retirement arrangements, training and development, travel allowances, and health and safety standards. They may also address job classifications, career progression, and disciplinary procedures. CAO provisions can improve terms beyond statutory minimums and may fill gaps left by national law.

CAOs can be sector-wide (sector-CAO) or company-level (bedrijfs-CAO). Whether a CAO applies generally to all employers in a sector depends on legal status; many CAOs are made generally binding (algemeen verbindend verklaard, AVV) by the government, extending the agreement to all employers and employees in the sector. If not AVV, a CAO generally applies only to signatories or to employers and employees who fall under the CAO’s coverage.

Durations commonly range from one to three years, with renegotiation at expiry. Compliance is monitored through dispute resolution mechanisms within the CAO framework, such as mediation or arbitration, and violations can lead to enforcement actions or industrial relation procedures. Caoafspraken thus function as a practical tool to secure predictable employment conditions while allowing sector-specific tailoring.