The Government has announced that nursing will be included in the pension scheme for hardship occupations, responding to a long-standing demand from unions in the health and care sectors including FSG GOD, Younion and GPA. From 1 January 2026, nursing staff will be able to retire at 60 with 45 years of contributions, without deductions. The reform updates the national ordinance on hardship occupations to reflect the physical and mental strain of care work. The measure follows years of coordinated union efforts through campaigns, collective bargaining, and public mobilisation, including a nationwide day of action and dozens of local events. It forms part of broader demands to improve working conditions, ensure stable staffing, and support professional training in the sector.
Read on: in German… Read on: in German (2)…
For more information, please contact Paul de Beer or Oana Ciuca, De Burcht (Scientific Bureau for the Dutch Trade Union Movement) p.t.debeer@uva.nl or the Head of communications at the ETUI, Mehmet Koksal mkoksal@etui.org. For previous full issues of the Collective bargaining newsletter please visit https://www.etui.org/Newsletters/Collective-bargaining-newsletter or consult the archive with all articles in our database at www.cbnarchive.eu.
You may find further information on the ETUI at www.etui.org.