Black Friday is coming and it is big.
The mirror states that In three short years Black Friday has become the single biggest day for online shopping in the UK – but it is far from alone in seeing people flock to shops’ websites hunting for discounts.
That is the United Kingdom, but Black Friday finds its origin in the USA as the day after Thanksgiving. Sales go up to absurd percentages as 252%. Basically anything with a sticker discount on it, will sell and be sold out.
How long will it take for Black Friday to arrive in the Netherlands?
Maybe not long from now, but our black Friday should be organized in the month of May or June. Why is that? Holiday pay(vakantiegeld) is being paid in either May or June. If paid in any other month, it cannot wear the name holiday pay.
What is holiday pay?
Holiday pay is an obligation set by Dutch law that all employees under Dutch employment legislation are to be paid on top of their gross salary of the previous 12 months 8% holiday pay. Eight per cent holiday pay basically equals one month of gross salary.
The origin is from early days, but actually still applies. It is extra money for the employee to be able to pay for his or her holiday. The holiday pay can therefore not be mistaken by holiday days. That is a different subject.
The money paid in May has the name holiday pay, but the employee is free to spend the money on anything. Before the crisis of 2008 the money often went into the savings account for the rainy day. Since the crisis the holiday pay was used to pay for outstanding debts.
Now we are in the after crisis period so I see a black Friday Holland coming in May next.
What if you have not addressed holiday pay in your employment agreement?
Foreign companies that hire an employee working and living in the Netherlands most of the time continue using the foreign employment contract. That is basically a mistake. The employee working in the Netherlands is subject to Dutch law. Which implies that Dutch labour law rules over the employment. If the employment is based on foreign rules and regulations, the contract basically lost its value. During a healthy working relation that will not show. But a contract you do not have for the good times, a contract makes the difference during bad times.
The moment you are in conflict with the employee, the employee who has never had paid for instance holiday pay as the contract did not contain this aspect, has a lot to win. As the holiday pay is a Dutch law rule, it applies to all employment agreements. Dutch agreements do not need to be in writing, can be verbal, can be based on the actual circumstances. If a foreign company is not willing to pay for holiday pay, which we can understand, this needs to be put in writing in the employment contract. The gross salary is that including holiday pay.
We are looking forward to the Dutch version of Black Friday.
