The Dutch government is scrapping a major part of a new law that was meant to define who can work as a freelancer. This plan was originally part of the coalition agreement.
Instead, the government will introduce a different law. According to Employment Minister Thierry Aartsen, this new approach aims to give self-employed professionals more certainty and “peace of mind.” It replaces a previous proposal (the VBAR) that many felt was too confusing for the market.
However, the government is keeping one key part of the original plan: a “legal presumption” for lower-paid workers. This means freelancers earning less than €38 per hour can more easily claim they are actually employees with full rights. Minister Aartsen wants to fast-track this change to protect these workers as soon as possible.
The original law had caused a lot of worry for both freelancers and the companies that hire them. Employers were afraid of being hit with heavy fines if they accidentally broke the strict new hiring rules. By changing course, the government hopes to stop people from losing work due to this uncertainty.
@anp | NEWS BRAINPORT
