BES Healthcare CLA strengthens collaboration and agreements

New agreements, salary increase and labor market platform in the works

Willemstad, CURAÇAO, On September 10 and 11, 2025, the CLA Parties successfully followed up on the first joint consultation in 2024. The employment-related topics designated for further development in the BES Healthcare CLA 2024-2026 were discussed in depth. This led to concrete agreements on the definitive adjustment of salaries by 3.15% as of January 1, 2026, on how the parties want to continue their consultation, and on criteria that can be used to assess whether new parties can join.

The CLA Parties also took a significant step to further strengthen and expand collaboration in the area of the labor market and employment conditions on the BES. For example, it was decided that the ZW Groep will become party to the BES Healthcare CLA, and the BES Healthcare Labor Market Platform was discussed, which will take concrete shape this year.

Strengthening and expanding

In recent times, the CLA Parties have experienced a great deal of interest in joining the BES Healthcare CLA. To be able to (continue to) realize their ambition as a CLA negotiating table, they have agreed on criteria for assessing requests to join. They have also adopted a protocol on how they want to conduct their consultations. In view of the expected further expansion of the parties, this should support the collaboration between the parties and the consultations.

In terms of content, the CLA Parties discussed how existing arrangements, such as those for special leave and payment during illness, can be improved. The emphasis was on more inclusiveness, addressing bottlenecks around care leave within special leave, and a shift of focus from illness to vitality. These topics had been prepared in advance by working groups set up by the CLA Parties. These and other topics will be taken up further in the next CLA consultation, scheduled for mid-2026.

Topics directly related to employment conditions and their funding were also discussed. For example, the parties discussed the PCN pension scheme and the explicit wish to better align this scheme with the position of healthcare employees and, as CLA Parties, to have a say in it. The parties will also take this up further.

Outlook and labor market platform‍

With presentations by representatives of CBS and the Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport, the CLA Parties discussed which themes in the area of employment conditions, the labor market and HR will be relevant in the coming years. This input forms the basis both for preparing the new BES Healthcare CLA and for the labor market platform to be set up for the healthcare and social care organizations on the BES. This platform, which will stand alongside the BES Healthcare CLA, will become the vehicle for further collaboration, learning from each other and strengthening each other, and focuses exclusively on employers and (future) employees working in healthcare and social care on the BES. It will be developed in the coming months. The labor market platform will become concretely visible with a website that will go live in January 2026. This activity also stems from the idea that “together we are stronger in providing the BESt Health care”. More news about this labor market platform will follow in the coming months.

About the BES Healthcare CLA 2024-2026

The BES Healthcare CLA has a term of three years and took effect on January 1, 2024. It is the first joint CLA for the five healthcare employers, Fundashon Mariadal, Sint Eustatius Health Care Foundation, Sint Eustatius Auxiliary Home Foundation, Mental Health Caribbean and Saba Cares Foundation, with the unions AFBW, ALL for 1 and SUPLUA. This CLA contains agreements that improve employees' employment conditions and strengthen their vitality.

With the BES Healthcare CLA, the parties ensure that competition on employment conditions is limited as much as possible. It also contributes to labor mobility; because the healthcare organizations largely apply the same employment conditions, employees can more easily take part in exchange programs or move to another healthcare organization. Given the situation on the labor market on the BES, both are important points. A healthy and well-functioning labor market is necessary to continue providing care to residents.