The Netherlands is a country of entrepreneurs. People who see opportunities, take risks, and innovate. But those who innovate increasingly find themselves stuck with rules from the past. This includes collective labor agreements (CAOs) that do not align with how modern companies operate.
Many CAOs were created years ago for sectors that now look very different. Yet these CAOs are still imposed on companies that do not fit them. With all the consequences: higher costs, legal uncertainty, less room to hire people. In some cases, even the risk of bankruptcy or the choice to move the company to another country.
This is bad for entrepreneurs and for employees.
The VVD believes that the so-called General Binding Declaration (AVV) on CAOs must adapt to the times. Entrepreneurs who take their responsibility and provide good employment practices deserve the space to do so in their own way. Such as with a legitimate own CAO.
It does not help if you are required to apply a CAO that was written for a completely different type of company.
That is why we want the minister to be stricter in assessing whether a CAO really fits the company it is applied to. Tech companies are not shops, restaurants, or supermarkets. Digital platforms are not distribution centers.
It should also be easier to obtain an exemption if a company has its own CAO, concluded with a legitimate trade union. Entrepreneurs have the right to clarity. No years of procedures, but clear criteria and a quick solution if a CAO is not suitable.