How is the Contract Catering Agreement established?

The CLA expires at the end of the year, and negotiations for a new CLA catering/hospitality will start in the autumn. This is often an exciting period, and the outcome can sometimes be difficult to predict. But how is a CLA actually established, what happens during negotiations, and what about the possible result?

Step 1: Preparation

CLA negotiations, or collective labour agreement negotiations, are discussions between employers and employees (or their representatives) to make agreements about employment conditions.

Employees and employers prepare for the negotiations. They think about what they want to achieve and what arguments they have. Trade unions consult members and non-members in the sector in advance. This can be done in various ways. De Horecabond usually does this through a survey. In the survey, we ask what you find important, what needs to be improved, and how you view certain employment conditions. We discuss the outcome with our CLA committees contract catering and inflight. These committees consist of members of De Horecabond, who are your colleagues. They are familiar with what is happening on the work floor. Ultimately, they determine the strategy for the negotiations. We then draft a proposal letter and send it to the employers.

Image: CLA committee contract catering

Employers also gather the wishes of their supporters for a new CLA and write a proposal letter to the trade unions.

Step 2: Negotiation Table

Both parties come together at the negotiation table. It is agreed in advance how many negotiations will take place. Here we explain our positions and strategy. We also exchange ideas and try to find where we can reach a possible agreement with the employers.

During the negotiations, both parties give and take. For example, employees may want a higher salary but are willing to be more flexible with working hours. This room for negotiation is determined in advance by the CLA committees. We call this a mandate.

It may also happen that the CLA committee indicates that something is so important that it cannot be deviated from. In that case, we hold on to this demand.

During the negotiation process, there is a lot of contact with CLA committees. We discuss the employers' positions and how we can respond. To keep all employees in the sector informed, we send newsletters and post updates on social media.

Agreement or Not?

There are various terms for an outcome in the negotiations:

Negotiation Result
Sometimes it is not possible to make agreements on all points, but the outcome is satisfactory. This is called a negotiation result. The CLA committee decides whether the negotiation result can be presented to the members. The final word is then yours, the members.

Principle Agreement
This is an agreement that, in the eyes of the CLA committees, falls within the previously established mandate. A principle agreement is always presented to the members with a positive recommendation and defended by the negotiators.

Final Offer
Sometimes we do not reach an agreement. The differences between the positions of employers and trade unions are then too great. The CLA committees can then decide to make a final offer. This essentially says: this is it, and we cannot make more or less of it. Employers can also come with a final offer. This offer is presented to you, the members, and you can accept or reject it.

Agreement?
All three of the above outcomes are presented to members and non-members, where the members' vote is decisive and that of non-members is only indicative. If both parties agree, a CLA (collective labour agreement) is drawn up. This is a document containing all agreements about employment conditions. After an agreement is reached, the Minister of Social Affairs and Employment can declare the CLA generally binding. This means that the CLA applies to all employers and employees in the catering sector, even if they are not members of an employers' organisation or trade union.

Stopping Negotiations
Failing to reach an agreement can also lead to the parties deciding to end the negotiations entirely. We can part ways, with or without a set new negotiation date in the near future.

In the event of no agreement, trade unions can also choose to step out of the negotiations and call on their members to take action and/or strike.