Thomas Catersels

Thomas Catersels

Associate | Attorney at law

Employment & Employee Participation

Thomas mainly advises employers and works councils of varying sizes in diverse sectors, such as healthcare institutions, IT companies, and public sector organisations. He also regularly advises individual employees and directors. Thomas provides advice in a wide range of areas, ranging from reorganisations and dismissal to consultation and consent processes.

‘I am an approachable, keen and dedicated lawyer with a positive attitude. I am energised by finding the best solution in every situation, based on the client’s best interests.’

Education and career

Thomas successfully completed his Bachelor’s degree in Law at Leiden University, graduating with a major in Law, Entrepreneurship & Management. During his university studies, he took employment law electives that piqued his interest in this area. In 2023 he graduated with his Master’s in Employment Law from Leiden University. While at university, Thomas was an active member of the Leiden employment law student association Sine Labore Nihil, performing committee work such as organising the annual employment law conference. His successful internship with the Employment, Employment Participation & Mediation team led to Thomas joining De Clercq after obtaining his Master’s degree. In 2024, he will commence studies at the Professional Law School (Beroepsopleiding Advocaten).

Thomas’s daily practice

‘My daily practice is a combination of employment law and employment participation law. This includes matters concerning dismissal, reorganisation and restructuring, competition clauses, collective labour agreements and leave. I also regularly draft and modify model employment contracts and complaints procedures. In addition to the above, I guide works councils and directors on employment participation processes with respect to the right of consultation and consent, and I provide advice and guidance on the establishment of works councils. The breadth of my practice means that every day is different, and highly enjoyable.’

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The latest developments

Employment, Employee Participation & Mediation

HR in Healthcare – 1. Recruitment Process and the Duty of Due Diligence

10 September 2025

In the Netherlands, nearly 1.7 million people work in healthcare. And yet, there is still a significant staff shortage. These shortages present new challenges for executives and HR professionals. In practice, we see this sometimes leading to the recruitment of healthcare employees who ultimately turn out not to be well-suited for the sector. In this blog series, we will address a variety of employment law issues that may arise, from recruitment through to the termination of employment.

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Employment, Employee Participation & Mediation

Accrual of Vacation During Long-Term Illness: What Employers Need to Know

9 September 2025

Does an employee continue to accrue vacation even after two years of illness? The answer is yes, and this has important implications for employers.

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Employment, Employee Participation & Mediation

Employee Participation in Healthcare – From Formal Obligation to Effective Dialogue!

4 September 2025

Recently, the Innovation and Advisory Committee (IAC) of the Governance Committee for Healthcare published the report “Participation and Co-Determination in Healthcare: Towards Innovative Forms of (Co-)Decision-Making?''  The report makes clear that within the healthcare sector there is a need for more flexible, tailor-made, and integrated approaches to organizing participation and co-determination. Based on this report, Renate Vink-Dijkstra, together with Mirella Minkman, Michiel van Berckel Smit, and Daniel Waarsenburg, authored an article for the journal Goed Bestuur en Toezicht (Good Governance and Supervision). The central question addressed is how to ensure that participation is not merely a statutory obligation, but also a source of improved decision-making and genuine engagement.

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