CORRECTION: it's a MINIMUM of two years. generally it's 100% of your wage in the first year, 70% in the second.
a dutch employer must also:
refrain from asking medical details. all they have a right to know is that you cannot work, the aspects of work that you cannot perform, and whether you're making efforts to recover
provide open consultations with a doctor specialised in occupational health
(partially) cover the costs of treatments that'll help you get back to work quicker and more sustainably
make efforts to prevent illnesses due to work (including burn-out and repetitive strain injuries)
provide temporary or permanent alternative working conditions (e.g., fewer hours, different tasks, ergonomic tools) if it's impossible or hazardous to the employee's health to (fully) return to their regular work and working conditions
provide assistance in finding an alternative employer if no suitable alternative work can be found within the organisation
the exact details can differ based on union agreements, the size of the organisation, specific contracts, and what have you. but this is the baseline for contractual permanent positions by law.
partially sharing because i have a lot of dutch followers this may sooner or later apply to, and partially to show the true extent of what's possible.
the dutch system is set up so that people can focus on recovery and making a healthy and sustainable return to work. in practice there's plenty of room for improvements on those fronts. but all in all, it's been shown to be more cost-effective than a continuous rotation of people getting more and more ill due to work until they reach a breaking point and have to recover for far longer than if those people had had the opportunity to recover at an earlier stage.
Dont worry the Dutch system is being actively destroyed by our america-loving right-wing parties, mainly the liberals, VVD, with help from their christian and fascist friends.
& Dutch bosses/companies are still gonna be shitty in whatever way they can, including but not limited to:
Forcing you to attend consultations with a company doctor, pushing you to travel to attend your consultations.
Trying to get information about your illness from the company doctor (= illegal!).
Interpreting company doctor reports about your capabilities in bad faith, trying to force you to do more work than you can, etc.
Guilt-tripping you if you don't recover fast enough.
Trying to blame your 'lifestyle'.
If you think you are being fucked with by your boss: check your contract, check your CAO, and ASK YOUR UNION.
#The Dutch have a pretty solid history of labor organizing and socialist resistance #so I give 'em good odds at fighting off the neo-liberal import
We're trying our best mate, but we've had nothing but right wing governments for the last 24 years. Union organizing is alive and kicking and there are some victories, but so much is constantly being destroyed that it feels a lot like 2 steps forward, 3 steps back, over and over for 24 years in a row.
