ARTICLE · 09 JANUARY 2026

The Netherlands: The Flexibility Of An On-call Contract

Littler Mendelson

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According to a recent decision of the Rotterdam District Court in interim relief proceedings, even though an on-call contract can be flexible...

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According to a recent decision of the Rotterdam District Court in interim relief proceedings, even though an on-call contract can be flexible, employers have to be aware of the rules that protect employees. In this ASAP we summarize the rules on on-call contracts and discuss the implications of the recent decision.

On-call contracts

An on-call contract is a special form of employment contract in which the number of working hours is not predetermined and employees are not entitled to wages if they are not called on. The purpose of on-call contracts is to give employers flexibility and reduce their employment costs burden by enabling them to adjust to fluctuations in workload, for example due to sickness or seasonal work. After 12 months, the employer must offer the on-call employee a fixed number of working hours equal to the average number of hours worked in the previous 12 months.

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