A deal is a deal

We all know that working in hospitality is fun, but… it becomes even more enjoyable when there are good agreements in place. Every experienced hospitality pro knows that this is often lacking.

Making good agreements, so you can work comfortably, is incredibly difficult every time. We all remember that the establishment of the CLA 2012-2013 did not go smoothly. There was even a 4-month period without a CLA.

After much hassle, fuss, and endless pushing and pulling with the employers' association KHN, there was finally a hard-won bonus that hospitality employees said 'yes' to. It was a 'yes, provided…'. Yes, provided that the ill-fated agreement of 6 contracts finally had to be taken off the table. Rightly so, because friends and foes agree that flexibility has gone too far, and many hospitality employees suffer because of it. They have no security, no prospect of permanence, etc. And so it happened... FINALLY.

The abolition of this extreme degree of flexibility was concretised in an agreement (art. 2.8 of the CLA): on 1 January 2014, the hospitality sector also joined the rest of the Netherlands, and the legal series of 3 contracts in 3 years was adopted. An agreement is an agreement.

What now?
The CLA hospitality runs until 1 January 2014 with a possible extension to 1 April 2014 (see art. 2.12 of the CLA). This means that we are already asking for the opinion of all hospitality employees in the Netherlands. On www.horecatour.nl, we invite you to make your voice heard. Both members and non-members can express their opinions. The fact that you do this in large numbers indicates that you have an opinion and a clear idea of where the hospitality sector should go. This coming Thursday, there is a first informal meeting with the negotiation delegation of hospitality employers and other unions. We are not yet negotiating content, but looking at where we stand. We are positive but also want to know if the employers are sticking to the agreements. So, we first assess what we have on our hands. Keep giving your opinion, because the more employees choose between the positions, the better our understanding becomes of what you find important! The next meeting is scheduled for 19 November. We will keep you updated.