Objections against the general binding declaration

We are challenging the shipowners’ & labour union’s request to declare the discriminatory Collective Bargaining Agreement for merchant ships generally binding on all Dutch merchant ships.

On 27 March 2026, the Dutch government published a proposal in the Dutch Government Gazette. The proposal: to make the entire 2026 Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) for merchant ships 2026 (CAO Handelsvaart 2026) binding for all Dutch merchant ships.

On 14 April 2026, the Equal Justice Equal Pay Foundation filed formal objections. We are targeting one specific provision: Article 3(2). This article excludes seafarers from the Philippines, Indonesia and Ukraine from the standard wages and working conditions that apply to their European colleagues – even when they do the same work on the same ships.

We believe Article 3(2) must be rejected. Here is why:

• It is discriminatory. Article 3(2) treats seafarers differently based on their nationality and where they live. This violates Dutch and international law. The Dutch Institute for Human Rights confirmed this in two separate rulings in August 2025.
• It creates unfair competition between different groups of seafarers. The whole point of extending a collective agreement sector-wide is that everyone competes on the same terms. Article 3(2) does the opposite: it allows lower wages for a large group of workers.
• There is no economic justification for this discrimination. Employers claim that equal pay would hurt the Dutch shipping industry. But independent economic research commissioned by the EJEP Foundation, shows otherwise. Labour costs make up only a small share of what Dutch shipping companies spend. And there are other ways to manage any cost increase.

We are calling on the Minister of Social Affairs and Employment to reject the request to declare the CBA generally binding. It is time to go back to the negotiating table – and come up with an agreement that treats every seafarer fairly.