Renewed and amended 2026 collective labour agreements are changing rules on working hours, leave, roster-free days and public holidays. The changes affect staff availability, payroll and the customer work a business can schedule.
Why this matters
A roster connects staff entitlements with customer appointments and invoices. Statutory leave equals four times the agreed weekly hours. A CAO or contract may add leave. The applicable CAO or contract sets public-holiday treatment. General limits include 12-hour shifts, 60-hour weeks, and daily and weekly rest. Hourly labour costs rose 4.2% in Q2 2026. From 1 July, minimum hourly pay for workers aged 21 and over is €14.99.
Example
A service company has eight people booked for Monday. One employee is on leave. Another has a paid roster-free day. A third worked Saturday. The customer diary is full. The owner can move appointments, arrange cover, or work the shift. Moved appointments delay invoices. Cover may mean overtime or a premium. If the CAO file, contract, leave record, roster and payroll code differ, the business may pay incorrectly or promise work without enough staff.
XTROVERSO tips
- Confirm which CAO applies. Keep the current CAO, its effective dates, employee groups and relevant appendices in one control file. Flag rules on hours, leave, public holidays, overtime and premiums.
- Convert entitlements into hours. Calculate leave and roster-free time from each employee’s contracted pattern. A fixed number of days can give part-time or irregular staff the wrong balance.
- Compare the working records. Check the contract, leave record, roster and payroll codes together. They should show the same paid hours, leave balance and public-holiday treatment.
- Test the shift sequence. Review busy weeks, weekends and holidays before approving cover. Check daily rest, weekly rest, overtime and sector-specific CAO rules.
- Check hourly pay. Reconcile monthly salaries and annual-hours arrangements with paid hours. Confirm the resulting hourly rate meets the statutory minimum.
- Recalculate the customer price. Include paid absence, cover, premiums and employer costs. Check whether the quoted price still covers the work and when the invoice turns into cash.
Need a practical check of your CAO, roster, payroll and customer capacity? We can identify gaps before they affect staff or margin
The data, sourcing, and analysis behind this article were conducted by Linda Pavan. AI was not used to identify sources, build the factual basis, or produce the analytical judgment contained here. AI was used only as a drafting aid. The final English text was personally reviewed, edited, and approved by Linda Pavan before publication.
References
- Cao's 2026 en afspraken over arbeidsduur, vakantiedagen, feestdagen en 5 mei · Salaris Vanmorgen
- Rijksoverheid - CAO terms versus statutory minimums
- Rijksoverheid - Statutory leave floor and CAO leave additions
- Rijksoverheid - 5 May and other public holidays
- Rijksoverheid - Working-time, rest and roster boundaries
- CBS - Current collective wage and contractual labour-cost pressure
- Rijksoverheid - Minimum hourly wage and annual-hours calculations
- Rijksoverheid - Written employment information and roster changes
