A sick employee may not be dismissed. However, there are exceptions concerning the prohibition of termination. And there are exceptions to these exceptions. What does this mean exactly? This blog gives a brief overview.
It is not allowed to dismiss employees during sick leave or long-term incapacity for work. The background of this regulation is that employers are responsible for the reintegration of sick employees. In principle, the best way to do this is for the employee to return to his or her own workplace.
In certain cases, the prohibition of termination does not apply:
If you want to dismiss an employee because of business economic reasons or long-term sickness, you will have to request the UWV for a dismissal permit. The UWV has to comply with the prohibition of termination. If an employee is sick and none of the aforementioned exceptions apply, the UWV is not allowed to provide a dismissal permit.
If the UWV refuses to issue the requested permit, an employer can go to the subdistrict court. The subdistrict court has to comply with the same rules when it comes to dismissal due business economic reasons and thus, also strictly follow the prohibition of termination. An employee cannot frustrate this second chance of an employer by reporting sick after the commencement of the UWV procedure, but before the dissolution proceedings. Since a recent judgement of the Supreme Court, the reference date is not the start of the dissolution proceedings, but the start of the UWV procedure.
In principle, the subdistrict court has to adhere to the prohibition of termination due to sickness, but has more leeway than the UWV. The subdistrict court is allowed to dismiss despite the prohibition of termination if:
Please note, this does not apply when it comes to dismissal due to business economic reasons.
It is not always clear whether the reason for the dismissal is not related to an employee’s sickness. Does the employee not function well because he or she is ill? Is the disturbed employment relationship not caused by mental problems of the employee? And does this not explain his or her unacceptable conduct? Is alcoholism the reason for the employee’s frequent absence? Often, there is no unequivocal answer to these questions.
Do you have any questions about sick employees? Or do you want us to assist you in a dispute with an employee? Please contact us:
Discrimination in the recruitment and hiring of new staff is not permitted. When do you, as an employer, discriminate during the application process, even unintentionally? And how can you prevent this, also if you use AI?
The government wants to improve the legal position of flex workers with a new law. What will it mean for employers and flex workers if the legislative proposal is adopted? What new rules will you need to take into account?
The statutory minimum hourly wage changes every six months. What are the new amounts as of 1 July 2025?
If a contract has ended, there may still be obligations you want your contract partner to fulfil, such as warranties or confidentiality. You can regulate this through survival clauses. What should you look out for when including such clauses?
A director under the articles of association is appointed by an appointment decision by an authorised body. What might be the consequences if this decision was not established in writing?
With the Dutch Tax and Customs Administration again enforcing the Deregulation of Assessment of Employment Relationships Act (DBA Act), these questions have become even more important. In a recent ruling on Uber drivers, the Supreme Court provided additional guidance on how to determine whether someone is a self-employed person.
