The Parties to this Collective Labour Agreement are The Employers’ Association of Research Institutes (WVOI), on behalf of the following research institutes:
and The employee organisations
The Parties hereby declare that they entered into this Collective Labour Agreement at at Utrecht on 6 November 2025.
Research institutes fulfil a prominent role in the Dutch and international knowledge infra-structure. They make an essential contribution to the Dutch and international knowledge-based economy. Academic research and innovation are fundamental to the prosperity and welfare of the Netherlands. Societal challenges and questions are therefore leading for the research institutes. In other to be able to work together to enhance scientific knowledge, they need to be attractive employers for their three thousand employees, now and in the future.
Salary development
In accordance with the usual system, the salary increases will also be carried through in pensions and benefits.
Job security
Adjustment of notice period
The notice period for a labour agreement of indefinite duration (Article 8.2) is two months for all employees, and the notice period for the employer is in all cases four months. The distinction between employees up to and including scale 12 and from scale 13 onwards will be abolished.
Extension provisions for OIO
Article 9.3 has been clarified to specify that extensions apply to the initial labour agreement. In addition, a new subparagraph (d) under paragraph 3 has been added, stipulating that the fixed-term labour agreement will be extended by the duration of illness during the initial labour agreement if there is a continuous period of illness of at least eight weeks and, at the time of extension, there is a realistic prospect of recovery within the extended period.
Leave
Parental Leave
Articles 5.13, 5.14, and 5.15 have been amended to allow parental leave to be taken more flexibly, provided that business operations permit. It has also been clarified how vacation leave accrual occurs during paid parental leave.
Leave for Marriage, Registered Partnership, or Cohabitation Agreement
Special leave with continued remuneration has been expanded by one day for marriage, registered partnership, or personal cohabitation agreement, as well as for attending the marriage or registered partnership of immediate family and the partner’s family, up to the second degree.
Expansion of Customized conditions of Employment (AVOM)
AVOM has been expanded with options related to work, offering employees choices that contribute to sustainability, greening, sustainable employability or work-life balance. The year-end bonus has been added as a source and three new objectives have been agreed upon.
Objective: Saving leave for early retirement
In the context of sustainable employability and work-life balance, employees may use leave to retire earlier. Employees may save up to six months of leave for early retirement. They may accumulate their extra-statutory hours of vacation leave over a maximum period of ten years, up to a total of 1,040 hours for a full-time workweek.
Leave saving will not commence until the employee and employer have mutually agreed on saving hours of vacation leave for this purpose. The saved leave may also be taken after participation in the Generation Plan Scheme.
Objective: Sustainability measures
The employer may choose to add the objective of sustainability measures within AVOM. The employer will make agreements with the competent works council regarding sources and objectives.
Objective: Repayment of DUO student loan
Employees belonging to the so-called “unlucky generation” under the DUO student finance loan system (studying during the period 2015–2023) may allocate up to €1,000.00 of gross salary per year toward repayment of their student loan. Employees must provide the employer with proof of repayment to DUO. The employer may establish rules for administrative processing. This objective applies from January 1, 2026, through December 31, 2030.
Month of the union
As of January 1, 2026, Union Month will be October. Employees who join one of the employee organizations involved in the OI collective labour agreement during October will receive €100.00 net reimbursement of their first annual membership fee from the employer.
(Service anniversary) Bonus
Article 3.6 of the collective labour agreement stipulates that for a 40-year service anniversary, the bonus will amount to 100% of the salary including holiday pay.
Other agreements during the term of the Collective Labor Agreement
The CAO-OI applies a collective labour agreement in the sense of the Collective Agreements Act. This CLA has the status of a standard collective labour agreement from which there can be no derogation, unless this is explicitly allowed by the CLA. The CLA implements article 4.5 of the Higher Education and Scientific Research Act (WHW), insofar as agreed on at sector level. This CLA shall be reported as a standard collective labour agreement to the Health and Safety Inspectorate (DCA) of the Ministry of Social Affairs and Employment.