New collective labour agreement for municipal employees in preparation, while municipalities continue to struggle to find skilled workers

NEWS

POLICY & LEGAL

Heleen Kommers, Wednesday 1 July 2026

78 sec

Municipalities prepare new CLA: negotiations start at the end of this year

Negotiations for a new collective labour agreement for municipal employees will start on 7 December. Although that date may seem far away, the outcome may have significant consequences for municipal departments responsible for green space management, waste collection and public space maintenance. These sectors in particular continue to struggle to attract and retain sufficient staff.

Illustrative image, generated with AI

Although the current collective labour agreement runs until 31 March 2027, the Association of Netherlands Municipalities (VNG) is already preparing its position for the next agreement. The main principles will be determined on 9 October, after which the final employer position will be presented at the beginning of December.

'The new collective labour agreement comes at a time when many municipalities are struggling to find and retain sufficient skilled workers'

Wages and staff

One of the key topics is expected to be wages. In the current agreement, which runs from April 2025 to March 2027, salaries increased by an average of 7.5 percent.
For many municipalities, however, the discussion is about more than pay alone. Municipalities increasingly compete with contractors, engineering firms and other employers for technical staff, green workers and operational professionals. Good employment conditions can make the difference.

'Municipalities increasingly compete with market parties for the same skilled workers'

Demanding professions remain important

For employees in public space management, the early retirement scheme (RVU) remains an important topic. This scheme was added to the collective agreement earlier this year and allows employees in physically demanding jobs to retire earlier when working until state pension age is not feasible.
The scheme includes staff in green maintenance, paving, waste collection drivers and loaders, municipal cleaning services, grave diggers, enforcement officers in public space and technical staff working on sewers and pumping stations.

'For employees in public space management, wage development and demanding professions may again become key negotiation topics'

More than wage negotiations

The upcoming collective labour negotiations are therefore not only about salary increases. For many municipalities, the key question is how to remain an attractive employer in a tight labour market. This is especially relevant for outdoor roles, where ageing staff and labour shortages have been ongoing issues.
The first talks between VNG and the unions FNV, CNV and CMHF are scheduled for 7 December.

This article was previously published on 25 June 2026 on the website of Stad + Groen.

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