Police collective labour agreement signed

This year, police officers will receive a salary increase of 1.3% and a one-off payment of €750. In addition, agreements have been made on the deployment of the police in the reopening of society and on how officers and their families can be better protected against aggression and violence. This is stated in the 2021 police agreement on terms and conditions of service, which was signed today by Minister Grapperhaus of Justice and Security, Police Chief Henk van Essen and the chairs of the police trade unions.

Minister Grapperhaus: 

'The police were heavily relied upon during the pandemic. With the enforcement of the measures to reduce the spread of the virus, the supervision of many demonstrations and the intervention during the curfew riots. This underlines how essential police work is for society. Lately, I have been talking to officers in many parts of the country. They deserve appreciation and recognition for their efforts. That is why it is I am glad that we have reached this agreement.' 

Agreements

The collective labour agreement will be in effect for a short period, from 1 January 2021 to 31 December 2021. This is due to the economic situation and because the sitting government is outgoing. The collective labour agreement contains agreements on salary, vitality, career development, mobility and capacity. The agreement includes a salary increase of 1.3% with effect from 1 July 2021 and a one-off payment of EUR 700 (gross) and EUR 50 (net). The previous collective labour agreement contained a great many agreements, including some major ones that will continue to apply in 2021.

Reopening society

The police and emergency services had to put in a lot of extra effort during the coronavirus crisis. Day and night, the police, special investigation arrest units and emergency services have been working to ensure safety on the streets. This was only possible thanks to the efforts of all these women and men in uniform. After so much hard work, they too need time to recover. They have to be able to take leave and spend time on training and education again. That is why Minister Grapperhaus has agreed with the police, the Public Prosecution Service and mayors to make sensible use of the available capacity of police and emergency services. The mayors, the Public Prosecution Service and the police will be extra careful when deciding about the deployment of police and emergency services at events. This also means that, more than ever, organisers must take their own safety measures.

Aggression against police officers 

The perpetration of aggression and violence against police officers unfortunately increased last year. This is unacceptable and has a major impact on police officers and those around them. For this reason, the collective labour agreement includes agreements to better protect police officers and their families. In order to tackle aggression and violence against emergency service workers, the Taskforce 'Keeping our emergency service workers safe’ (‘Onze hulpverleners veilig’) was launched this year. The bill on the criminal prosecution of subversion ensures that insulting and threatening people, including police officers, can be punished more severely. In addition, Minister Grapperhaus will soon put forward a bill to make doxing punishable.