GroentenFruit Huis concludes collective agreement, including salary increases, with FNV, CNV, and RMU Werknemers unions
Fresh produce growers in the Netherlands have secured a new labour agreement with the country’s major unions, after several months of negotiations.
The final collective labour agreement (CLA), which applies to the country’s fruit and vegetable wholesale trade, runs from 1 July 2026 to 30 June 2027.
Members of the FNV, CNV, and RMU Werknemers unions voted on the negotiated proposals over the past few weeks.
GroentenFruit Huis, which represented employers in the talks, said the agreement would now be incorporated into a new CLA text.
Under the agreement, salaries and salary scales will increase by at least 0.75 per cent from 1 July 2026, followed by a further increase of at least 2.75 per cent on 1 January 2027.
Other changes to salary scales, commuting allowances, and pension rights have also been agreed.
Pay was the central issue since negotiations began on 9 March. FNV originally sought a 6 per cent structural increase and a lowest hourly rate of €18, while CNV requested 5 per cent and RMU Werknemers at least 4.5 per cent per year.
GroentenFruit Huis is understood to have argued that these demands were too high given wider cost increases affecting fresh produce businesses.
The group has more than 300 members involved in wholesale, import, export, processing, packaging and storage.
It is estimated to represent more than 80 per cent of the Dutch fruit and vegetable sector, generating over €20bn in annual turnover.
