Dispute Committee Employees

Following the introduction of the Civil Service (Normalization) Act (in Dutch: Wnra), the Universities of the Netherlands adopted the Sectoral Dispute Resolution Scheme for Dutch Universities.

Since 1 January 2020, it is possible to submit a dispute between an employee and the employer (Executive Board) on certain limitative listed subjects to the Dispute Committee Employees (hereinafter: DCE).

Before an employee can submit a dispute to the DCE, the following conditions must be met:

1. The dispute is about one of the limitative listed topics (article 2, paragraph 3 of the Sector Dispute Resolution Rules of Dutch Universities).
2. The employee is an involved party in the dispute.
3. Employee has consulted with the (immediate) supervisor and no agreement has been reached.

The employee may submit a request to the DCE (cgw@eur.nl) within 6 weeks after the decision has been announced in writing by or on behalf of the Executive Board. If it concerns a decision of the Employer made within the period from 1 January 2020 until the effective date of the Regulation, the period of 6 weeks starts from the date of publication of the Regulation. In the absence of a written decision, the employee will first have to request the employer to share a written point of view.

Composition of the DCE

The DCE is composed of two members and a chairperson. The members are appointed by the Executive Board on the recommendation of the employer and the employee. The chairperson is appointed by the Executive Board on the joint nomination of the members of the DCE.

Procedure

After an investigation the DCE advises the Executive Board whether the disputed decision could be taken in accordance with the standards of reasonableness and fairness.

During the investigation by the DCE a hearing will be held. Parties will have the opportunity to present their views during this hearing. Any dispute at the DCE will be handled confidentially.

Further information regarding the procedure can be found in the EUR 2020 Dispute Regulation for Employees in the Downloads below.