Employment law
Ten employment situations, explained properly
Not ten versions of the same page with the city name swapped. Each one is a distinct problem — a settlement agreement pushed across a table, a contract chain that has already converted, a non-compete that may be void on its face — set in the place where that problem actually concentrates, with the statute it turns on and the court that would hear it.
Every statute reference was checked against wetten.overheid.nl in August 2026. Where a reform has passed parliament but is not yet in force, the page says so rather than describing it as law.
- Amsterdam
Pushed to sign a settlement agreement
You have a statutory right to walk back a signed settlement agreement. Most people never find out in time.
Read it - The Hague
Fixed-term contract not renewed
After three contracts or 24 months, the next one is permanent by operation of law - whatever the paperwork says.
Read it - Rotterdam
Long-term sick leave and reintegration
Your employer carries dated obligations during long-term illness. Missing them has consequences for the employer, not for you.
Read it - Eindhoven
Non-compete clause blocking a move
Many non-competes in fixed-term contracts are void on their face, because the required written motivation is missing.
Read it - Utrecht
On-call and zero-hours work
Twelve months of on-call work triggers a duty to offer fixed hours - and cancelled shifts still have to be paid.
Read it - Amstelveen
Seconded from a foreign parent company
A foreign governing-law clause does not switch off Dutch dismissal protection. Rome I sets a floor beneath it.
Read it - Delft
Dismissed during a probation period
Probation clauses are void, not shortened, when they exceed the limit. Check the contract length first.
Read it - Leiden
Retaliation after raising a concern
Reporting suspected wrongdoing is protected. Retaliation for it - including quiet non-renewal - is not lawful.
Read it - Groningen
Redundancy for economic reasons
Your employer needs permission before it can make you redundant, and the selection rule is prescribed by law.
Read it - Wageningen
Losing your job on the 30% ruling
The expat tax ruling is attached to the job, not to you. That makes termination timing a financial question.
Read it
Looking for a lawyer rather than an explanation?
The city pages cover the same ground from the other direction — the employment problems that concentrate in each place, and how to find an English-speaking employment lawyer there.
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