oa Vergrijzing, levensfasebeleid en de cao

Ageing, life cycle management and collective labour agreements

Solutions for issues with respect to ageing are often searched for in Collective Labour Agreements (CLA). This article investigates the necessary conditions for concluding arrangements for ageing in a CLA. First the influence of government on the degrees of freedom of social partners is explored from the viewpoint of institutional economics. Next, the theoretical conditions are mapped that negotiating parties in companies can develop themselves, from the perspective of transaction costs, agency or stewardship. The various approaches are illustrated with some facts about Dutch CLAs. It appears that the management of individual life cycles is more appropriate as a concept than the issue of ageing. In a survey of 564 Dutch CLAs the aspects of a life cycle approach are listed. In the discussion the limitations of the present analysis are reviewed, the conditions are summarized, possibilities for further research are indicated. The conclusion is that under certain conditions the CLA can contribute to the management of one’s life course.