Nurses, police officers and teachers should get extra pay for working in Amsterdam, according to city council alderman Eric van der Burg.

Work is more difficult in the Dutch capital and the cost of living is higher, Van der Burg said in an interview with the Parool. ‘A teacher in [the Amsterdam district of] Zuidoost has to work harder than one in Bloemendaal,’ he said.

The city has a shortage of teachers and police officers and there will be a shortfall in the number of nurses in the coming years, labour market experts say. At the same time, Amsterdam has an above average crime rate plus many schools and healthcare institutions which need staff.

House prices

Research has shown that half the city’s healthcare workers live elsewhere because of the cost of both renting and home ownership in Amsterdam, the Parool says. The average cost of a home in the city is €288,000, which is well above the reach of teachers and police officers.

Van der Burg, who represents the VVD, said the ‘big city bonus’ should become part of pay negotiations between ministers and unions, who are responsible for civil service pay.

A spokesman for teaching union Aob said it would not make extra money for teachers part of pay talks, saying it is difficult to quantify what counts as ‘heavy work’.

However, there is nothing to stop the city council paying a bonus itself, the Parool quotes the spokesman as saying.