Approximately 8,000 employees covered by the CLA Swimming Pools will receive at least a 2.7% pay increase this year. After an earlier offer from the employers was rejected two weeks ago, a better offer was made following pressure from the union. The new CLA will take effect on 1 January 2022 and will last for one year.
Hanan Yagoubi, CLA negotiator on behalf of FNV: ‘We are pleased that the employers' organisation (WiZZ) was receptive to the employees. They also see how hard the employees work and that the responsibility swimming instructors have is significant. The Updates situation in the swimming pool sector is very concerning, despite the various government support packages. This demands a lot from both employees and employers. We will continue discussions on this matter soon.’
Lower pay scales will benefit more
As wages increase by 2.4% on 1 January 2022 and by 0.3% on 1 July, and with a one-time payment of €200 agreed, employees in the lowest pay scales will see an average increase of 3.5% this year. This is above the 2021 inflation rate (2.7%).
Equal work, equal pay
Improved agreements have been made for the new CLA. However, the salary of swimming pool employees covered by the CLA Swimming Pools still lags far behind the salary in municipal swimming pools. Yagoubi: ‘We have therefore been advocating for a single CLA for all swimming pools for some time. The work and responsibilities are the same, but the salary is not. Our principle is: equal work deserves equal pay. We are drawing national attention to this, as it also concerns how swimming education is funded by the government. If you want quality swimming education, you need to invest in it.’
Sustainable swimming education
Now that there is a new CLA, it does not mean the union will rest. Members are actively involved in the future of the sector and have already highlighted their profession through actions. Frannie Verwaal, member of the FNV Branch Council: ‘We will certainly continue to draw attention to the training and recruitment of swimming instructors. An attractive salary is important, but in these CLA negotiations, we also raised concerns about our working hours and our safety, as well as that of the guests.’
Sustainable employability
FNV also continues to advocate for sustainable employability and higher quality of work. For example, the union wants more permanent contracts with more hours, so staff retention is improved and young people do not have to juggle multiple jobs. Next month, the unions and employers will draft and discuss future scenarios. Otherwise, the unions foresee a significant outflow of swimming instructors to other sectors. The outcomes of these discussions will be considered in the next CLA.
8,000 employees
The CLA Swimming Pools applies to approximately 8,000 employees working in about 70% of all swimming pools. These are mainly employees in commercially operated swimming pools such as those of Optisport and Sportfondsen Nederland.