“The funds in the 2026 budget have been exhausted,” Minister André Misiekaba of Volksgezondheid, Welzijn en Arbeid said on Wednesday ahead of the meeting of the Raad van Ministers, regarding the implementation of the collective labour agreement for staff of the Regionale Gezondheidsdienst (RGD, Regional Health Service).
Misiekaba said that lengthy negotiations had taken place between the union and RGD management to arrive at an implementable 2026 collective labour agreement. A preliminary agreement was reached in mid-August, but the ministry does not have the money in the budget to implement this agreement. He is, however, prepared to pay the agreed 13.5 percent wage adjustment from the end of September.
The union also wants a one-off payment of SRD 8000 to be paid in mid-September, but according to the minister this is not realistic. He needs more time to make this possible. The ministry has further proposed paying the retroactive-payment funds over six months, through February 2026, because the funds in the 2026 budget have been exhausted.
Paying the total package will cost SRD 115 million, while only SRD 80 million is available in the budget. “So there is a shortfall of SRD 35 million.” The minister stressed that there will be no supplementary budget this year, which is why the ministry wants to spread the payment of the retroactive-payment funds from the end of September through February. The union demands that the retroactive-payment funds be paid between September and December. “Talks between the union and management are ongoing and I hope a solution will be found.”
