All-in salary? Don't count your chickens before they hatch!

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What exactly is an all-in hourly salary and why do hospitality employers increasingly use this to attract people?

Let me start with the first point. With an all-in salary, you receive the value of your holiday hours and holiday pay on top of your normal gross hourly salary. According to the CLA, employers may only apply an all-in salary for temporary workers.

The reason employers like to offer an all-in salary is mainly because it looks much more attractive on paper. They hope to recruit more people because all-in is higher than the normal gross salary. But does this mean you actually receive a higher salary in practice? The answer to that is: no. You do receive more per month, but if you look at it over a whole year, you receive the same as 'normal'. In an all-in salary, the holiday pay that you normally receive once a year in May is already included in your all-in salary.

I notice that many hospitality pros often count themselves rich with the attractively presented high all-in hourly wages. But they end up feeling deceived when no holiday pay is deposited into their bank account in May. This was precisely the money they wanted to use for a holiday or to pay bills. They also expect to still have (enough) paid holiday hours/leave hours to take time off. And here too, they are disappointed. Because the value of these hours is also already included in the all-in salary. If you want to take a holiday, you must do so unpaid with an all-in salary.

My advice: as a temporary worker, find out if you really benefit from the romanticised high all-in salary. I expect the answer in most cases will be no, and that all-in turns out to be a case of robbing Peter to pay Paul.

An all-in salary is in many cases not much more (or less) than what you are already entitled to. It's just in a different Membership. A Membership that for many – due to a lack of clarity about the contents – ultimately proves to be less attractive. Also, know that employers are required to specify all components in the salary – such as holiday pay and holiday hours – separately on your payslip with an all-in salary.

How do you find out which salary is ultimately best for you? It starts with knowing what you are at least entitled to. And that is stated in the hospitality CLA, both in text and in salary tables.

An all-in salary including holiday pay and the accrual of holiday days must be at least 119.49% of your gross hourly salary. For example, if you earn €10.80 gross per hour, your all-in salary must be at least €12.90.

It's important to know that the hospitality CLA is a minimum and that these are amounts you must receive at least. Your employer can always give you a higher salary than the CLA salary.

Don't be blinded by high all-in hourly wages. Know what you are entitled to!

Edwin Vlek
Chairman De Horecabond