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.

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The latest developments

Employment, Employee Participation & Mediation

Reorganising Despite Negative Works Council Advice: How Far Does Management Discretion Extend?

24 July 2026

A management board decides to implement a reorganisation, despite the works council (OR) having issued a negative opinion. The management board nevertheless intends to proceed with the decision. How far does its discretion to organise the company extend? A recent decision by the Enterprise Chamber of the Amsterdam Court of Appeal (OK) shows that this discretion is broad, provided that the management board follows the employee participation process carefully and provides a sound justification for its decision.

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Employment, Employee Participation & Mediation

The Act Implementing the Revised EU Directive on European Works Councils: What Will Change for the European Works Councils of Multinational Companies?

13 July 2026

Multinational companies with a European Works Council (EWC) are facing significant changes. On 26 November 2025, Directive (EU) 2025/2450—the revised European Works Council Directive—was adopted. EU Member States must transpose the Directive into their national legislation by 1 January 2028. In the Netherlands, this will be achieved through the Act Implementing the Revised EU Directive on European Works Councils, which amends the Dutch European Works Councils Act (Wet op de Europese ondernemingsraden (WEOR)) and introduces a limited amendment to the Economic Offences Act (Wet op de economische delicten (WED)). Below, we outline the key changes introduced by the proposed legislation.

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Employment, Employee Participation & Mediation

The More Security for Flexible Workers Act Has Been Adopted: What Will Change for Employers?

9 July 2026

On 7 July 2026, the Dutch Senate approved the More Security for Flexible Workers Act (Wet meer zekerheid flexwerkers). The new legislation is intended to provide employees with flexible employment contracts with greater certainty regarding their work, income, and working hours. The Act addresses four key areas: on-call contracts, fixed-term employment contracts, temporary agency work phases, and the employment conditions of temporary agency workers.

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