Netherlands: Bill on Certainty for Flex Workers Submitted to the House of Representatives

On 19 May, the bill titled More Security for Flexible Workers (in Dutch: Wet meer zekerheid flexwerkers), has been submitted by the Minister of Social Affairs and Employment to the House of Representatives. This bill aims to provide greater security for employees working under temporary agency contracts, on-call contracts, and fixed-term contracts.

The More Security for Flexible Workers bill has been sent to the House of Representatives. This bill is a part of a broader reform of the Dutch labour market, which aims to tackle inequalities in the labour market. Specifically, it aims to provide employees with flexible employment contract more certainty, both in terms of their work and their income. The most important proposed changes are:

• The current on-call contract (zero-hours and min-max contracts) will be abolished and replaced by what is called the “basic contract.” This new contract must include a fixed, guaranteed minimum number of paid hours per week. Employers will still be allowed to call employees to work up to 30% more than the agreed minimum. For example, if the contract guarantees 16 hours per week, the employee may be scheduled for up to 20.8 hours. Exceptions to this rule will remain possible for young people under 18, school pupils and students.
• Stricter rules will apply to the number of consecutive fixed-term contracts an employer can offer, based on the so-called chain rule. Currently, employers are allowed to offer three temporary contracts within a period of three years: exceeding this results in a permanent contract. A break of more than six months currently resets the chain. The bill proposed extending this break period to five years. Exceptions will remain possible for students and recurring temporary work, such as seasonal work.
• Temporary agency workers will gain quicker access to permanent contracts. The maximum period for working through an agency will be reduced from five and a half years to three years.

Status of the bill

The bill has been sent to the House of Representatives. If the Senate also approves the bill, the law will come into effect on 1 January 2027. The part of the bill that mandates equal pay for temporary agency workers may come into effect earlier, specifically on 1 January 2026.

Key Points for HR

We will keep you updated on the developments regarding this bill.