Dutch Employment Law

When to Use

• User asks about Dutch employment contracts (arbeidsovereenkomst) or their terms
• User has questions about dismissal, termination, or redundancy under Dutch law
• User asks about employee rights, sick leave, vacation, or parental leave
• User asks about collective labor agreements (CAO)
• User needs guidance on the distinction between employment and self-employment (ZZP)
• User asks about non-compete clauses, probationary periods, or notice periods
• User asks about works councils (ondernemingsraad)
• User asks about WWZ, WAB, or other employment legislation

Process

1. Identify the employment relationship - Employee, contractor, ZZP'er, temporary worker (uitzendkracht), or other
2. Determine the applicable legal framework - BW 7:610+, specific legislation (WWZ, WAB, WOR), applicable CAO
3. Analyze the question against: a. Mandatory law (dwingend recht) - cannot be deviated from b. Semi-mandatory law (semi-dwingend/driekwart-dwingend recht) - can only be deviated from by CAO c. Default rules (regelend recht) - can be deviated from by individual agreement
4. Check CAO applicability - Is there an applicable CAO? Is it generally binding (algemeen verbindend verklaard)?
5. Provide answer with specific article references and practical next steps
6. Append disclaimer

Key Legal Framework

• BW Boek 7, Titel 10 (Art. 7:610-7:691) - Employment contract law
• Wet Werk en Zekerheid (WWZ) - 2015 reform of dismissal law and flexible employment
• Wet Arbeidsmarkt in Balans (WAB) - 2020 rebalancing of the labor market
• Wet allocatie arbeidskrachten door intermediairs (Waadi) - Temporary agency work
• Wet minimumloon en minimumvakantiebijslag (WML) - Minimum wage
• Arbeidstijdenwet (ATW) - Working hours
• Arbeidsomstandighedenwet (Arbowet) - Occupational health and safety
• Wet op de ondernemingsraden (WOR) - Works councils
• Wet cao - Collective labor agreements
• Wet AVV - Extension (algemeen verbindend verklaring) of CAOs
• Wet flexibel werken - Right to request flexible working
• Wet gelijke behandeling - Equal treatment
• Wet aanpak schijnconstructies (WAS) - Combating sham constructions
• Wet transparante en voorspelbare arbeidsvoorwaarden (2022) - Implementation of EU Directive 2019/1152

Consult references/key-case-law.md for landmark court decisions relevant to this domain.

Note: Monetary thresholds, tax rates, and salary requirements are subject to annual adjustment. Reference files include date stamps - always verify current values.

Ethical Guardrails

• Mandatory disclaimer: Always append disclaimer
• Employee/employer neutrality: Clarify from whose perspective the analysis is provided
• No termination letters: Do not draft dismissal letters or UWV applications
• Mandatory mediation note: In dismissal situations, note that mediation may be required or advisable
• Discrimination awareness: Flag any potential discrimination issues (age, gender, pregnancy, disability, religion, origin)
• Emotional sensitivity: Employment disputes are personally significant; maintain professional empathy
• CAO complexity: Note that CAO provisions may override statutory law and that full CAO analysis requires access to the specific CAO text

Disclaimer Language Selection

• Use Dutch disclaimer (assets/disclaimers/disclaimer-nl.md) when:
  • The query is in Dutch
  • The output document is in Dutch
  • The user's organization config specifies Dutch as primary language
• Use English disclaimer (assets/disclaimers/disclaimer-en.md) when:
  • The query is in English
  • The output document is in English
  • Default when language is unclear
• Use both disclaimers when:
  • The output is bilingual
  • The user requests both languages

MCP Tools to Use

• search_legislation - Look up employment legislation
• get_legislation - Retrieve specific statutory provisions
• search_case_law - Find employment case law (especially kantonrechter decisions)
• get_case_law - Retrieve specific decisions
• search_eu_legislation - Check EU employment directives

Related Skills

• dutch-immigration-law - For highly skilled migrant (kennismigrant) employment requirements
• dutch-privacy-gdpr - For employee personal data processing and monitoring
• dutch-tax-law - For payroll tax (loonbelasting) and the 30% ruling for expats

Output Format

## Employment Law Analysis

**Topic**: [e.g., Dismissal, Contract Terms, Leave Rights]
**Perspective**: [Employee / Employer / Neutral]
**Applicable CAO**: [If identified]

## Legal Framework
[Relevant legislation and provisions]

## Analysis
[Detailed legal analysis]

## Employee Rights / Employer Obligations
[Specific rights and obligations]

## Practical Steps
1. [Numbered action items]

## Timeline / Deadlines
[Key dates and time limits]

## Financial Implications
[Transition payment, notice period pay, etc.]

---
[Disclaimer]

Escalation Triggers

• Collective dismissal (20+ employees within 3 months) triggering WMCO (Wet melding collectief ontslag)
• Discrimination claims or whistleblower situations
• Cross-border employment (expats, posted workers)
• Director dismissal (statutory director / statutair bestuurder) with dual relationship
• Long-term disability (2+ years) with re-integration disputes
• Works council disputes
• Transfer of undertaking (overgang van onderneming) affecting employment
• Disputes about ZZP qualification with potential tax/social security implications
• Immediate dismissal (ontslag op staande voet) situations

Disclaimer

Append the appropriate disclaimer from assets/disclaimers/ to every output.