Agreement has been reached in principle between pharmacy assistants and employers which will boost their wages by 20% by the end of next year, with a further rise to follow in 2027.

The agreement, brokered with the help of former health minister Martin van Rijn, will now form the basis of a new round of pay talks, in which details of the staggered pay rise will be worked out. Unions will then put the deal to a vote.

If all goes according to plan, the deal will be backdated to July 2024 and will run until December 2027.

“After three-quarters of a year of negotiations, campaigns, and strikes, pharmacy workers will get what they deserve,” the FNV trade union said in a statement.

Pharmacy assistants, who went on national strike in November for the first time ever, had been campaigning for a 6% rise and a minimum of €16 per hour. Assistants also want their pay to include the work they do before opening up shop.