After the approval by the Dutch senate with a large majority on 10 June 2014 the labour market reform proposed in November 2013 by the Minister of Social Affairs Lodewijk Asscher (see article No. 8272) was published in the Official Journal (Staatsblad 2014-216) on June 14. The ‘Act on work and security’ comprises provisions in three main policy areas: the streamlining of the legislation regarding redundancies, the labour contract rules for flexible work and the reform of the existing unemployment benefit schemes.
Origins of the law. Itstems from a tripartite agreement concluded with the social partners. In that ‘social pact’ representatives of the government, employers and trade unions agreed to cut the length of unemployment coverage from three years to less than two and to strengthen the legal position of temporary and flex workers. In return the government postponed further austerity measures and a €4 billion raft of cuts planned for 2014 was put on ice. The act consists of a large list of modifications regarding various labour market issues that will lead to changes in different parts of the Dutch labour market legislation (Act regarding dismissals, Act on unemployment benefits, Agency work provisions, Act on income provisions for elderly).
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