In 1947 the Employers Association for the Banking Sector (WGVB) was founded. The objective was to jointly promote social-economic interests. The first CLA for banks was concluded in 1950. It is a small CLA for the lower administrative staff of the general banks. During the following decades there were relatively few changes in the CLA.

During the 1970s and 1980s the banks developed from mainly administrative organisations to commercially focused companies. All kinds of new positions arose within the banking world and the number of employees increased quickly. In addition to the traditional trade unions, the unions for the middle and high level staff also joined the negotiating table.

The developments in the banking sector require another kind of CLA. The Rabobank and the saving banks became members of the WGVB. A large number of foreign banks also entered the Dutch market. The CLA from that time applied to almost the entire sector and expanded to one of the most important business sector CLA in the Netherlands.

During the 1980s it became evident that the uniform CLA for the sector was no longer sufficient. The members of the WGVB are a varied group and this requires tailor-made arrangements. In this manner banks acquired the option to develop their own salary system within specified boundaries. During the 1990s the trend towards more tailor-made arrangements in the CLA continued.

The 1990s was also the decade of large mergers. The first merger was the NMB and Postbank. Amro and ABN soon followed. Following in their wake, Pierson Heldring & Pierson and Bank Mees & Hope merged into MeesPierson. This was later incorporated in Fortis. Later on, Postbank merged with Nationale-Nederlanden to form ING.

After this wave of mergers, a small number of large financial institutions were left. They differ so much from each other that one single CLA for the banking sector is no longer suitable. In 2000 the five largest banks decided to each conclude their own company CLA. This caused the end of the CLA for the entire sector after fifty years.

In 2001, the Dutch Banking Association (NVB) merged with the WGVB and from then on socio-economic interests also belonged to the tasks of the Dutch Banking Association (NVB). In December 2015, within the context of the Dutch Banking Association (NVB), the Employers’ Association for Banks (WVB) was established. The purpose of the WVB is to act as an employer's party in entering into the Collective Labor Agreement Banks and to promote the social interests of its members. The current Collective Labor Agreement for Banks applies to approximately 24 medium-sized and smaller participating banks and associated institutions and approximately 4,000 employees.


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