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Renate Vink-Dijkstra

Renate Vink-Dijkstra

Partner & Attorney at law

Employment & Employee Participation

Renate Vink-Dijkstra is a highly motivated and enthusiastic attorney with a great deal of interest in employment and employment participation. She considers it a privilege to work with directors, legal counsels, HR, works councils and other employment participation bodies, and to be able to contribute to effective employment participation within corporations, the government, healthcare and education.

‘Employment participation is about employees having a say and exercising influence, and about working together to achieve a result that is good for both the company and the employees. I examine issues from a legal, strategic and practical point of view so that the best possible solutions can be found. And if necessary, I have the legal expertise to help matters along.’

Education

Renate completed her law studies at Leiden University and graduated with a Master’s degree in Private Law in 2008. Since then, Renate has gone on to specialise in employment law, specifically in employment participation, and successfully completed the specialist course in Employment, Enterprise and Employment Participation at the University of Amsterdam in 2015.

Career

Renate has practised as an attorney in employment law and employment participation since 2009. She started her career at our firm and, after an interlude at a large international firm, returned to become one of the firm’s partners in 2022. Renate is also currently an external PhD student at Leiden University, where she is researching what could be the potential ‘next level’ of employment participation in the Netherlands, taking into account current developments within companies and on the labour market.

Renate’s daily practice

Renate’s enthusiasm for employment and employment participation is reflected in her daily practice, in which she assists her clients in the areas of collective employment law and employment participation. Her work ranges from negotiations on collective and individual terms and conditions of employment, application of collective labour agreements and guidance in reorganisations, restructuring, mergers and acquisitions, to the design of an appropriate employment participation structure, guidance in consultation and consent processes and litigation. Renate also enjoys sharing her knowledge through publications and giving training courses or workshops. She is regularly invited to speak at conferences.

Selected cases

Guidance for a demerger in the healthcare sector

We assisted a works council that was engaged in a complex advisory process for a demerger, and the integration and evaluation of this.

Advising on a large-scale reorganisation within the government

Undertaking an advisory process with the works council on a major organisation-wide reorganisation, including the implementation.

Establishing the employment participation structure for an IT group

Together with the management and employment participation bodies, we advised on a new employment participation structure that would align with the restructured group.

Establishing collective terms and conditions of employment

At the request of the works council, we negotiated with the board on collective terms and conditions of employment throughout the whole group.

Litigating on the trade union position with respect to terms and conditions of employment

The entrepreneur asked us to litigate on their behalf on maintaining their own terms and conditions of employment, without mandatory consultation with the unions.

Stay up to date

The latest developments

Employment, Employee Participation & Mediation

At the table as a works council? Make sure you're involved early!

24 February 2025

"What is your most important tip for works councils?" As a co-determination lawyer, I get this question regularly. My answer is always the same: make sure you're involved early. Not when all the plans are already on paper, but when there are still real choices to be made. Of course, the executive must follow the rules. Follow the Works Councils Act (WOR). Ask for advice. But those who really want to have influence need to be at the table earlier. When plans are still taking shape. When alternatives are still open. When external advisors have yet to receive their assignments. Because a works council that only wants to be involved at the advice request stage is often too late to make a real difference. Renate Vink-Dijkstra and I recently commented on a case in the JIN journal that illustrated this again.

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Employment, Employee Participation & Mediation

How strong is the protection against dismissal for whistleblowers?

13 February 2025

On February 7, 2024, the Supreme Court ruled on the protection of whistleblowers. This is the first time the Supreme Court has ruled on the Whistleblower Protection Act (Wbk). This law, among other things, stipulates that a whistleblower cannot be dismissed because of their report. But how far does that protection extend?

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Employment, Employee Participation & Mediation

Justified wage suspension?

6 February 2025

In practice, we regularly receive questions about the possibilities of imposing a wage sanction if an employee does not cooperate with their reintegration. Firstly, there is often confusion about the difference between wage suspension and wage stop, but employers also regularly wonder if a wage stop is the right route in a particular situation.

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