Understanding a Dutch job means looking at more than the individual contract. Depending on your sector and employer, a CAO (collective labour agreement) can set or supplement rules on pay, working time, allowances, leave, pensions and other conditions. Temporary-agency work has its own structure.

Start with three layers

  1. Dutch law: statutory minimum protections.
  2. Your applicable CAO, if there is one: sector/company collective conditions.
  3. Your employment contract: your individual agreement, which must be read together with the law and applicable CAO.

Do not assume a colleague in another company or sector has exactly the same entitlement. Ask your employer which CAO applies and verify it when something matters financially or legally.

What is a vakbond?

A vakbond is a trade union. Unions negotiate collective employment conditions and can also provide members with information, advice and, depending on the organisation and circumstances, legal assistance. Two large names newcomers will encounter are FNV and CNV.

FNV has dedicated information for international workers and states that people working in the Netherlands may join even if they do not permanently live in the Netherlands. Its work-and-income services cover issues including contracts, salary, sickness/reintegration and dismissal. Check membership conditions and any waiting periods before assuming a new membership will cover an already-existing dispute.

Uitzendbureau: who is actually your employer?

If you work through an uitzendbureau, the agency is normally your contractual employer while you perform the work at another company, the inlener. That distinction matters for your contract, payslip, sickness reporting and which CAO/rules apply.

Government guidance says agency workers must receive equivalent treatment to employees doing equal or equivalent work at the client company for specified employment conditions such as pay/allowances, working and rest times, breaks, overtime, holidays and night work. The precise rules and CAO provisions can change, so check the current government guidance and your applicable CAO rather than relying on an old forum post.

ABU and the temporary-work CAO

ABU is a major Dutch association for temporary-employment agencies. Its site publishes the CAO voor Uitzendkrachten; the current published agreement runs from 1 January 2026 through 31 December 2028. ABU membership can be a useful piece of information about an agency, but it is not a substitute for checking the actual contract, registration and applicable rules.

Before accepting agency work

  • Confirm the legal name of the agency and check that it is registered in the Dutch Commercial Register.
  • Ask which CAO applies and request the contract before starting.
  • Check hourly pay, allowances, guaranteed hours, holiday accrual, pension arrangements and deductions.
  • If housing or transport is arranged through the agency, ask for the costs and conditions separately and in writing.
  • Know how to report sickness: agency workers can have obligations toward both the agency and the client workplace.
  • Keep contracts, payslips, schedules and payment records.

If something is wrong

Start with the contract and applicable CAO. A union such as FNV or CNV may be able to advise members. Government information points workers to the Nederlandse Arbeidsinspectie for suspected breaches of rules by temporary-employment agencies. Serious disputes may need specialist legal advice.

This is the system map, not the entire Work section. BorderlessAdvice treats job hunting, contracts, salary/payslips, leave, sickness, dismissal, pensions, work permits and qualification recognition as separate practical subjects. Those are audited as a major Work section rather than crammed into this culture guide.