New two-year collective labour agreement for Achmea employees

A majority of the members of FNV Finance and CNV Vakmensen have accepted Achmea’s final offer for a new two-year collective labour agreement, which means a new agreement is in place. Members of De Unie have not accepted the final offer. Achmea put the final offer to the three trade unions in end-December. Voting closed on Friday, 14 January.

The new collective labour agreement, covering some 12,000 employees, runs from 1 December 2021 to 1 December 2023. Innovative elements of the agreement are a one-time climate budget for all employees and an unlimited training budget.

Bianca Tetteroo, chair of the Executive Board of Achmea is pleased with the new collective labour agreement: “We want to create sustainable value for our customers, our employees and our business and for society. This new agreement means that we are again investing in sustainable employment practices for now and the future. We are offering a total package that gives employees important benefits and allows them to use and develop their talents to the maximum extent.”

Important elements of the new collective bargaining agreement are:
·       Salaries will increase by 3% on 1 January 2022 and 1% on 1 January 2023
·       A one-time gross payment of €750 for each employee in January 2023.
·       A one-time net climate budget of €2,500 to be spent from 2023.
·       Pension contributions to be capped at 40% of the pension base.
·       Unlimited training budget for all employees and temporary staff employed for more than three months.
·       Made-to-measure bereavement leave (no maximum).
·       Early retirement scheme (RVU) for employees within three years of the state pension age.

Climate budget
From 2023 all employees will receive a one-time net climate budget of €2,500. This sum can be spent on products and services that contribute to sustainability and so to improving the climate. Bianca Tetteroo: “Climate change is an important theme in our strategy. Achmea has ambitious climate targets. This means that we not only look at our own footprint, but also encourage customers and employees to become greener. By including a climate budget in our employment conditions, we are shaping our climate ambitions in a contemporary way.”

Unlimited training budget
The unlimited training budget will give all employees the opportunity to follow training courses they select from a broad training catalogue. The manager’s approval is not required and the departmental budget is not a limiting factor. This is part of the ambition to allow employees to use and develop their talents to the maximum extent.

In the coming period, Achmea will work with the trade unions on the exact details of the scheme covering the climate budget and unlimited training budget.