CAO Bouw & Infra and Metaal & Techniek: what a collective agreement regulates
What a cao is, what it usually covers (pay, supplements, leave, pension) and where to find current pay scales and terms.
Updated 2026-11-07
What a cao is
A cao (collective labour agreement) is a written agreement on employment terms between employers or employer organisations and trade unions. It applies to a large group, for example a whole sector.
A cao is often better than the law but can never fall below it (minimum wage act, civil code), as Rijksoverheid explains.
Which cao applies to you
There are sector cao's and company cao's. Most sector cao's are declared generally binding (algemeen verbindend), so they apply to all employers in the sector (Rijksoverheid). Your employer must tell you in writing within a month of starting which cao applies.
The cao Bouw & Infra covers construction and infrastructure; the cao Metaal & Techniek (and related ones such as Metalektro) covers metal and technical companies. Which one applies depends on your employer's activities, not on your trade.
What it usually covers
It differs per agreement. Typical topics, as FNV shows for Bouw en Infra:
- pay: salary scales per job and increases;
- supplements and allowances: overtime, irregular hours, travel;
- leave: vakantiedagen, roostervrije dagen, holiday pay;
- pay during sickness;
- pension;
- training (including BBL), working in heat and cold, a heavy-work scheme.
Where to find the pay scales
Scales change after each negotiation round, so only use the primary sources:
- The ministry of SZW runs a cao database at cao.minszw.nl, which also shows the generally binding declaration.
- FNV publishes explanations and salary scales for Bouw en Infra and Metaal en Techniek.
- Employer organisations (Bouwend Nederland, Metaalunie, FME) and bpfBOUW publish cao texts and pension rules.
- Always check the effective date.
We deliberately quote no rates here: a mistake of a few euros per hour means thousands per year.
Compare with your contract
Look up your job, the matching scale and your experience level, and compare the hourly rate with your contract and payslip.
- Your pay may not be lower than the cao if it applies to you.
- It can never be lower than the minimum wage.
- Leave may not be below the statutory minimum.
Suspect underpayment? Ask your employer in writing first. Breaches of the minimum wage can be reported to the Inspectie SZW; unions help too.
Work under a cao, officially and in a crew?
Razom employs skilled workers directly and never charges job seekers. See how working in a crew goes.
- How to read a payslip
- VCA in your own language
- Reception housing and work: contribution and living allowance
Frequently asked questions
Does a cao always apply to me?
It depends on your employer. Most sector cao's are generally binding, but there are exceptions. If a cao applies it is named in your contract or in the written notice of terms.
Can my pay be lower than the cao?
Not if the cao applies to you. It can never be lower than the minimum wage; report breaches to the Inspectie SZW.
Where do I find the pay scales?
In the cao text and from unions and employer organisations. The cao.minszw.nl database shows whether a cao is generally binding. Check the effective date.
Which cao covers installation work, Bouw & Infra or Metaal & Techniek?
It depends on your employer's activities, not on your trade. Ask which cao is named in your contract.
Sources
- Rijksoverheid: what a cao is
- Rijksoverheid: what an employment contract contains
- Ministry of SZW cao database (cao.minszw.nl)
- FNV: trade union page for the Bouw en Infra cao
- FNV: trade union page for the Metaal en Techniek cao
- Bouwend Nederland: employer organisation
- Rijksoverheid: minimum wage
This is general information, not legal advice. Rules change: check the sources above.