Dutch primary teachers to get 3.8% rise


Teachers and support staff in primary schools in the Netherlands will get a 3.8% increase this year, in a deal which runs for 22 months from January this year to October 2017. 


The pay increase for the around 170,000 workers covered will be paid on 1 July 2016 and in addition there will be a lump-sum payment equivalent to 3.8% for the first six months of the year without an increase. 


On 1 April 2017, a further €500 will be paid as a lump-sum. Inflation is currently zero in the Netherlands (April). 


This agreement is in line with the overall settlement for the public sector signed last year, which provided for a 5.05% pay increase after four years of a pay freeze. 


Although the 2015 deal was signed by three unions, it was not accepted by the largest Dutch union confederation, the FNV. It objected to the fact that part of the pay increase was financed by a cut in employer pension contributions, resulting in a reduction of up to 15% in pension payments.


€1 = 78p on 17 May