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Butchers cao. What you must do as a butcher, and the tools to do it.

For butcher's shops, pre-packing businesses and central butcheries with staff. Make an employment contract with the right wage, look up a wage or write a letter. All under the Butchers cao 2025-2027, which is generally binding.

Make an employment contractAll tools
Ten bars for scale 2 to 11, hourly wage at step 3, from 1 July 2026. Scale 6, which includes the all-round craft butcher, is at 18.41 euros an hour. Scale 11 at 20.80 euros.Hourly wage at step 3, July 2026234567891011€18.41craft butcher, per hour€20.80
Hourly wage at step 3 per scale, from 1 July 2026. As of 29 October 2026.

Tools

Choose what you need to do now. Each tool uses the Butchers cao and the wage table that applies on the date.

Employment contract

For a sales assistant, butcher, head butcher, production worker or driver. We fill in the wage with age or step, probation, notice period and chain rule. You get a pdf to sign.

Make the contract

Letters

Extension or end of a fixed-term contract, change, training costs, new step, reference and resignation.

Make a letter

Wage table

All hourly wages per scale, age and step, per hour, four weeks and month, with net pay. From 1 January, 1 March and 1 July 2026 and 1 January 2027.

Go to the wage table

Job grading

All 42 reference functions from the cao, from sales assistant and butcher to operator, driver and accountant, with the function group and the wage.

Go to the guide

What does an employee cost?

All employer costs of a butcher: contributions, Pensioenfonds Slagers and the cost per productive hour.

Go to the calculator

Gross to net

What your butcher keeps net, with the Pensioenfonds Slagers pension.

Go to the calculator

What to do when

The fixed moments of the cao in a year.

1 January 2027Wage increase of 1.5% on the scales and on the wages (12). The youth minimum wage rises extra: if the cao amount is lower, pay the minimum wage.
1 January and 1 JulyThe minimum wage rises. Scale 1 and the lowest steps of scale 2 follow the minimum wage (12).
Every full yearAfter a full year on a step, in continuous service, automatically the next step up to the top of the scale (12).
1 MayThe holiday year starts: 190 hours (25 days) at full time, with extra days from age 50 (28).
MayPay the holiday pay: 8% of the wage from 1 May to 30 April (29).
1 May to 1 NovemberThe employee can take 114 hours of holiday in one block (28).
2 weeks aheadPublish the four-week roster. At most two compulsory evenings a week (22).
28 February 2027The cao and the declaration of general application end. A new cao follows. We keep the tools up to date.

Rules that often go wrong

The cao rules that differ from the law, or that butchers often miss.

StepsEvery full year on a step the employee automatically moves up a step, without an appraisal (12).
SicknessThe first 26 weeks 100%, then 90% (at least the minimum wage), in the second year 80%. From the third sick report in a year no pay for the first day, unless the illness lasts 10 working days or more (38).
Holiday25 days at full time, from age 50 1 to 6 extra days. At the second sick report in a holiday year 7.6 hours are deducted (28).
Sunday and eveningSunday work only with the employee's consent, 70% supplement in the shop, public holidays 100%. Evenings from 20.00 30%, after 22.00 50% (14 and 21).
ColdAnyone working in the cold store or freezer gets a cold supplement of €10.80 a week (14).
NoticeOnly to the first day of a month. Employee 1 month, employer 1 to 4 months (47).
Work clothingThe employer pays for the prescribed work clothing and its upkeep (3).
PensionPensioenfonds Slagers: 28.3% of the pensionable salary. The employer may deduct at most 11.3% from the wage.

Source: Butchers cao 1 September 2025 to 28 February 2027, declared generally binding from 11 July 2026 to 28 February 2027 (Government Gazette 2026, 20929). Not for food retailers that are members of the VGL. As of 29 October 2026.

Frequently asked questions

For companies that process beef, lamb, pork, goat or horse meat into products and sell them to consumers, hospitality or institutions. Also pre-packing businesses and central butcheries. The cao is generally binding, so it also applies if you are not a member of the KNS. Not for food retailers that are members of the VGL.

Every job belongs to a function group from 1 to 11, each with its own scale. Under 21 age counts. At 21 the employee moves to step 0, and after every full year on a step one step is added automatically, up to the top of the scale.

Pensioenfonds Slagers. The contribution is 28.3% of the pensionable salary. The employer may deduct at most 11.3% of that from the employee's wage.

Then the cao and the declaration of general application end. The cao parties negotiate a new cao. Until then, the terms in existing employment contracts continue to apply. We will update the tools as soon as there is a new cao.

Bakeries fall under the Craft Bakeries cao. It expired on 1 September 2026 and is no longer generally binding. More on our page about bakers and butchers.

Would you rather we handled it?

We run payroll for butchers under the Butchers cao: scales with age and steps, the wage increases, supplements for evenings, Sundays and cold work, holiday pay in May and Pensioenfonds Slagers. Tell us how many people you employ. You'll hear back within one working day.

Request an introductory meeting