Life in the Netherlands

Is it a life-threatening situation? If so, call the Dutch emergency number 112 immediately. Bear in mind that call handlers will speak only English and Dutch. You should also be aware that calling this emergency number without a legitimate reason is a punishable offence.

With healthcare insurance you will be insured against virtually all medical expenses. What if you need to see your GP or be taken to hospital, by ambulance or otherwise, for emergency assistance? What if you need medication or maternity care? Health insurance will provide you with cover for such eventualities. You might sometimes have to make a contribution of your own, for medicines, for example. This varies from one insurance policy to another. You will find more information about this in your insurance policy.

You are not obliged to register with a GP in the Netherlands. If you need to see a doctor, you can also make an appointment with a local GP and take that opportunity to register. You can always contact Werckpost and your coordinator if you have any questions.

If you start working for Werckpost, you will be registered with HollandZorg. For 2023, that insurance will cost €145.20 per month. The health insurance premium includes an excess. Werckpost will pay your salary weekly, which means that a sum will be deducted for your insurance weekly as well. That sum amounts to €33.51.

Dutch GPs can come across as blunt and direct: directness is a Dutch cultural trait what you might need some time to get used to. We recommend that you prepare yourself for every visit to a doctor by writing down your questions and concerns. We would advise you to take a second person (interpreter) with you if you don’t speak Dutch.

We hope you get better soon. Contact your coordinator if you are ill and are meant to be working. He or she will pass this on to the scheduling department, thus avoiding any problems. Please also let your coordinator know once you have recovered and are fit for work. This will enable you to be scheduled for work again.

If you are coming to the Netherlands to live and work and your employer is Dutch, you are obliged to have Dutch health insurance. Werckpost will help you by insuring you with HollandZorg. If you plan to take out healthcare insurance yourself, make sure you do so as soon as possible and in any case within four months of starting work here. You will have to pay medical expenses yourself during the period in which you are not insured.

If you have stopped working for Werckpost and you are not entitled to any benefits, you will no longer be insured in the Netherlands.

Your employer will continue to pay your wage for a maximum of two years. You will receive at least 70% of your most recent wage. This will be at least the minimum wage during the first year of illness, regardless of whether you have a permanent contract or a temporary one.

Are you a resident of a European Union (EU) country? Are you from Poland, Bulgaria or Romania, for example? If so, you will not need a permit. Are you from a non-EU country? If so, you will probably need a permit to be able to work in the Netherlands. Read in Dutch or English which work permits you need to be able to work in the Netherlands.

A temporary employment clause is a provision in the temporary employment contract that ensures that the contract between the temporary worker and the employment agency will end when the assignment ends. This means that if you are working as a temporary worker with a contract containing the ‘temporary employment clause’ your job might come to an end if the client you are working for decides to discontinue the assignment. In that case, you will be paid only for the hours worked. You may work on the basis of a temporary employment clause for no more than 52 weeks. Thereafter, you must be given a temporary contract, with a fixed number of hours, which must always be paid, even if you can’t work.

Have you received less pay than agreed in your contract or been paid for fewer hours than you worked? If so, check to make sure that it is not the deductions for accommodation, insurance and transport that make the final amount lower than expected. Is the amount still less than you expected? Contact your coordinator or our accounts department. If there is a problem, we will do our best to resolve it. Questions about your salary? Send a WhatsApp message to: +31 6 83388773

A collective labour agreement (CLA) is a written agreement laying down agreements on working conditions. Examples include agreements on pay, allowances, overtime pay, working hours, trial periods, notice periods or pensions.

It contains the agreements you, as employee, make with your employer. The contract of employment is an agreement containing agreements to do with your terms and conditions of employment. They include, for example, agreements on your pay, allowances, overtime pay and working hours. In addition, trade unions will sometimes also make agreements on behalf of employees with employer organisations about pay and working hours, for example. We refer to such agreements as collective labour agreements (CLAs). Your employer must abide by them; your contract will state which CLA covers the contract. Many sectors, agriculture and horticulture or transport, for instance, have mandatory CLAs. Those rules also apply to Werckpost. There is also a CLA for temporary workers in the Netherlands. In addition, when a temporary agency assigns you to the company where you are to start work, it will give you what is known as confirmation of temporary employment. That confirmation specifies which parts of the CLA or the sectoral regulations of the company where you are to start work also apply to you as a temporary worker. In other words, as a temporary worker, you will be covered by two CLAs.

At Werckpost, you will receive a payslip weekly by email and in your Plan4Flex environment. You will receive an annual income statement for the past year worked at the end of the year.

You will receive an annual income statement from Werckpost at the beginning of every new year. This is in addition to the monthly payslips. The annual income statement will state what you earned over the previous year. Keep your annual income statement in a safe place as you will need it for your tax return in the Netherlands.

As an employee in the Netherlands, you are entitled to a minimum wage and a minimum amount of holiday pay. That is the law. Werckpost can pay you more than the minimum, but they cannot pay you less. Furthermore, it may not withhold more than 25% from your minimum wage for accommodation. This may be done only with your explicit consent and if your employer has a certificate bearing a quality mark regarding the quality of the accommodation. Werckpost is in possession of those certificates and quality marks. Other deductions from the minimum wage, including fines or other sums, for example, are prohibited.

Your payslip will show your gross and net pay and the taxes and contributions withheld by your employer, e.g. your wage tax. You will also see how many hours you worked and the period for which you are being paid, as well as allowances for overtime, for instance, and expense allowances on your payslip. Deductions from your pay for accommodation and health insurance should also appear on your payslip. Keep your payslips in a safe place so that you can check them if you need to. In the following video we explain clearly what our payslips/salary slips look like and what all the components mean: salary slip

Note: If you work for a temporary agency, it is possible that you will be paid only for the hours worked during the first year. Furthermore, you do not decide yourself how many hours per week you can work. As a result, you might have to pay for fixed costs such as rent for your room and your health insurance even though you haven’t worked a single hour that week and will therefore receive no pay. This will be the case if you have a temporary employment contract with a 'temporary employment clause’ or a temporary contract containing an ‘exclusion of the obligation to continue to pay wages’ clause. This should be set out in your contract. If you do not work through a temporary agency, it is also possible that you will be given a zero-hours contract for six months, or an on-call contract. In that case, you will also be paid only for the hours worked and you will often have no say as regards the number of hours you can work per week.

The salary you receive will depend on the type of work and the number of hours you work in a week. Your specific salary will be mentioned during the first interview with Werckpost. Remember that this is your gross salary. There will be a number of items to be deducted, e.g. tax.

Under the law in the Netherlands, your employer may make separate agreements with you on the number of hours you work. You must lay down those agreements in your contract. Make sure you check those agreements in your contract carefully. Your employer may also occasionally ask you to work extra hours, for example, at busy times. You will also be paid for those extra hours. The rule is that you may not work for more than 12 hours in succession. In addition, you may work for no more than 60 hours a week. However, you are not allowed to do that every week. Always consult your manager if you are asked to work more hours. Note: Keep your own records of the number of hours you have worked. That way you will be able to check whether you are being asked to work too many hours and whether you are being paid for the number of hours you have worked.

Various organisations in the Netherlands monitor Werckpost's compliance with the law concerning your terms and conditions of employment. That includes, for example, wage payment. You can read in English, Spanish, Polish or Romanian about how Werckpost's compliance with the agreements is monitored on the website of the Foundation for Compliance with the Collective Labour Agreement for Temporary Agency Workers (SNCU).

Permanent and temporary contracts are used in the Netherlands. A permanent contract is open-ended and a temporary contract is entered into for an agreed period. Three successive temporary or on-call contracts give rise to a permanent contract of employment. You will also receive a permanent contract if you have had multiple temporary contracts for more than three years. In addition, there are three kinds of on-call contract: an on-call contract accompanied by a preparatory agreement, a zero-hours contract and a ‘min-max’ contract. Typically, after six months, you will be entitled to a contract for the average number of hours per week that you have worked during those six months. You will have to request such a contract yourself. Please take careful note of this! After a year, employers are obliged to offer you a contract with a fixed number of hours. This must be done if your contract is still running or if your employer offers you a new contract after a year. You may also opt to continue working on the basis of an on-call contract. This is for you to decide – your employer cannot compel you to do so. Finally, we also have the temporary employment contract, which only employment agencies may issue. In this case, zero-hours and on-call contracts may run for a 52-week period. After those 52 weeks have elapsed, you may be given a further six contracts within a three-year period and will then be entitled to an open-ended agreement.

This will depend on your circumstances. Werckpost provides you with a complete package for work, accommodation and transport. What if you stop work? In that case, you might have to leave your dwelling. However, Werckpost will grant you period of time before you have to leave it. This will usually amount to a few days to allow you to pack up your things in your own time and find somewhere else to live. If you find yourself without work because of illness or other circumstances beyond your control, we will work together to find the best and humane solution.

As well as your personal items, it would also be a good idea to bring your own bedding. Otherwise, the accommodation will contain everything you need.

If you experience noise nuisance or are exposed to a fire hazard or odour nuisance, for example, you must always report this to Werckpost. The telephone numbers to call may be found on the information card in the dwelling.

It is very difficult and expensive to find a home of your own in the Netherlands at the moment. Fortunately, Werckpost has found a solution to this by offering accommodation to its own temporary workers. The type of accommodation ranges from a detached property to a chalet on a camp site. You may also be offered a single or double room. Werckpost makes a weekly charge of €105 for that accommodation. It is deducted from your weekly pay.

There will be an information card explaining what to do in the event of emergencies in your dwelling. The card will be displayed in a central location in the dwelling. It has on it Werckpost telephone numbers and the ambulance, fire and police emergency numbers.

There are several rules to follow if you stay in Werckpost accommodation. For instance, smoking and drug use is not permitted within the accommodation. This is to protect the furnishings, you and any house mates. Sabotaging the smoke alarm or turning the heating up to above 21 degrees is not permitted either. Turning the heating up creates a huge rise in costs and this is something Werckpost is keen to avoid. You will find other rules on the information card in the accommodation.

The Netherlands is ranked the 16th most expensive country in the world to live in based on the cost of living. High energy prices, for gas, electricity and district heating, for instance, are the main reason why the Netherlands is rapidly becoming an even more expensive place to live. Alongside energy, food, especially meat, vegetables and fruit, are also more expensive. Clothes and shoes are among other items to have risen in price. We have prepared a short list to give you an idea of March 2023 prices. Fuel Euro 95 (E10) €1.78 Diesel (B7) €1.63 Food Chicken breast (1kg) €11.86 Beef mince (1kg) €9.49 Potatoes (1kg) €1.50 Milk (1L) €1.19 Bread (supermarket) €1.09 Beer (restaurant) €3.50 Melk (1L) €1,19 Brood (supermarkt) €1,09 Bier (restaurant) €3,50

It is a tax scheme that allows a tax-free payment to be made to employees living abroad and working temporarily in the Netherlands to cover the additional costs incurred because they are temporarily outside their countries of origin. The CLA for Temporary Workers allows a temporary employment agency and a temporary worker to make agreements to exchange part of the pay for reimbursement of Extraterritorial Costs. The temporary worker will then relinquish part of his or her taxed pay and receive a tax-free payment in exchange.

Certain matters, rules and laws in the Netherlands are different from those in your home country. We have listed a number of those things for you: The Dutch population speaks English well, so if you speak a little English, you will be able to go anywhere. Watch out for cycle paths. The Netherlands has an infrastructure geared towards bicycle use. Inflation has led to a significant rise in the prices of goods and food. The speed limit on motorways is lower than in surrounding countries and fines for infringements are higher. The level of taxation is high in the Netherlands compared with some other countries. This is because the country manages a number of matters at national level: examples include healthcare, infrastructure, education and income guarantees. This means that you will pay part of your salary towards the services the country has to offer, enabling you to make use of them. There has been a considerable rise in house prices. The cost of renting has also increased. Werckpost will offer you accommodation with all the facilities you need at a good price. Temperatures during Dutch winters average just above freezing and around 20 degrees in the summer months. We do experience temperatures below or above those levels, but they are unique events.

Go for a ride on a kick-bike in the Veluwe: take a little exercise before relaxing. Whizz down forest paths, past the Highland cattle, across the heathland and alongside the most stunning views. Electric kick-bikes are also available for hire at many places in the Veluwe. Rent an electric boat in Giethoorn: get together with friends or relatives, or take your family out on an electric boat. Sail through the idyllic Giethoorn and Weeribben-Wieden National Park. Enjoy a relaxing outing on the water and watch the day unfold.. A day out in Amsterdam is always a good choice. You could take in the Anne Frank House, the Rijksmuseum, Vondelpark, the Albert Cuyp market or just go shopping. Amsterdam offers plenty of entertainment for an enjoyable day out. The Netherlands also has many amusement parks, including Efteling, Walibi, Toverland, Madurodam, Tivolli, the Slagharen Amusement Park, as well as the Dolphinarium and zoos in Amersfoort, Amsterdam and Arnhem.

1. If you have been recruited by a foreign recruitment agency or a foreign branch of the temporary employment agency established in the Netherlands, which is established in its country of origin or its geographical region and you appear on the recruitment list; and 2. You have a foreign home address in the geographical region of recruitment and also hold the nationality of a country in the region of recruitment; and 3. Werckpost has concluded a contract of employment with you – which states the foreign home address and – is governed by Dutch law and – which contains a temporary employment clause or has been concluded for a fixed period; and 4. Terms of employment have been agreed with you in accordance with Articles 44 and 45 of the Federation of Private Employment Agencies (ABU) CLA or Articles 36 and/or 36A of the Dutch Association of Intermediary Organisations and Temporary Employment Agencies (NBBU) CLA. This has been laid down in the contract of employment; and 5. Werckpost has offered health insurance, as an agreement and authorisation show; and 6. A You live in one of our dwellings B Werckpost has organised transport from and to your country of origin.

Identification In the Netherlands, you must be able to produce a valid identity document to show to, among others, the police at all times. This is known as the duty to provide proof of identity. Make sure that you always have a passport or ID card on you in case you need to identify yourself. Emergency number 112 is the number to call if you experience an emergency in the Netherlands. Put the number in your phone before travelling to the Netherlands.

With the Plan4Flex app, you will have all the information you need within easy reach. Below are some examples of the convenient features of the app: You can view your work schedule You can pass on availability and absence details, such as days’ leave or sickness reports All your documents will be conveniently in one place, from contracts to payslips It contains your workplace address, directions to it and the travel time, thanks to the links to Google Maps and Bing You can submit claims, for example, for fuel receipts It can be used to sign forms digitally It has a chat function for contact between employee and employer with integrated translation into your preferred language

As Werckpost, we continually invest in the services we provide and this has prompted us to switch to our new system. We'd like to invite you to install the app using the following link: For Android https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=nl.ewings.app For iOS https://apps.apple.com/nl/app/plan4flex/id1125677458 We will send you a user name and password.

We will send you a user name and password. If you haven’t received it yet, contact your Werckpost contact person.

All you need to do is check your hours and approve them in the app. Everything else takes place automatically. The scheduler processes the hours worked, creating time sheets based on the work scheduling. You will find your time sheet in the app and can check whether it shows the hours you actually worked. a) Are the hours correct? If so, approve them in the app. b) Are the hours incorrect? If so, amend them straight away in the app and approve them. We will receive your approval or amendments in the Plan4Flex time sheet overview. We check the time sheets and approve them with final effect. Hours worked are forwarded to the pay department.

For Android https:// play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=en.ewings.app For iOS https://apps.apple.com/ nl/app/plan4flex/id1125677458 You will receive a username and password from us.

That’s annoying. You must always check first whether you have sustained a physical injury. Then find out whether it was your fault or that of another road user. This could be important if any insurance issues arise. After that, contact your coordinator without delay to find out what to do next.

Transport will be arranged for you if you work for Werckpost. This could mean you’re using a bicycle or car, travelling to work with colleagues or being collected by Werckpost. Werckpost also uses large city buses. Those buses travel at fixed times and pass various companies. A coordinator will consider the best option with you when you come to the Netherlands.

Having to work overtime or finishing work early can happen at any time. Werckpost will also arrange transport in those situations. You might have to wait longer than normal, though, because a driver will have to come to you.

Costs will be attached if you use the transport we provide. We charge €3.50 per person per day for transport by car/bus and €7.50 per week for use of a bicycle. Those costs are made up of fuel costs and the cost of buying the means of transport. If you are allocated a car and you give lifts to colleagues, you will not have to pay any costs and may be compensated for the additional time you spend.

This varies from job to job because it will depend on the employer. Some employers pay an allowance and others do not. This is something you can find out when you look for a job in the Netherlands with Werckpost.

Don’t worry. We have our own bicycle repair shop at Werckpost. Tell your coordinator what the problem is and bring your bicycle in. We will help you as soon as possible or give you a replacement bicycle.