1 WORKING PAPER THE NETHERLANDS: PRECARIOUS EMPLOYMENT IN A CONTEXT OF FLEXICURITY

The aim of this chapter is to review the extent and distribution of precarious employment in the Netherlands in the context of Dutch debates, especially around ‘flexicurity ’ and policies aimed at achieving a better balance between employment and private and family life.1 Insights are offered into legal instruments which might improve the position of workers with flexible employment contracts and further weaken dominant male norms in employment. To what extent have legislation and case law so far addressed the risks related to various forms of precarious employment? Which gaps still remain? In the Netherlands most workers, including part-time workers, are employed on the basis of open-ended employment contracts which enjoy statutory employment protection and social security benefits such as unemployment insurance and old-age pensions. Precarious working relations are usually called ‘flexible employment relations ’ (flexibele arbeidsrelaties) in the Netherlands. These employment relations differ from standard employment relations in terms of working hours or duration of employment. Flexible employment contracts are defined by Statistics Netherlands a