Johan Zwemmer Ph.D.

Areas of experience

• Business transformations: restructuring, outsourcing, acquisitions, post-acquisition integration (also including social plan negotiations, employee representative consultation, severance packages)
• Corporate misconduct, whistleblowing, investigations
• Confidential information and restraints, business protection
• Flexible workforces – non-regular worker challenges
• Collective employment issues: company closures and strikes, litigation against unions
• Harassment, discrimination and diversity

Key experience

• Advising an international chemical company on the structure of its growing temporary /flexible workforce and on the hiring of different types of personnel (framework agreements with employment agencies regarding the hiring of (temporary) staff) and on the implementation of an alcohol and drugs policy.
• Advising a large energy supply company on the intended privatisation, including the works council process.
• Advising a media company with the restructuring of its Dutch workforce following the merger with another media company.
• Advising a bank with the harmonization of the working conditions of the workforce after the acquisition of another bank.
• Advising a large retailer on the reorganization of its organizational structure and the relocation and collective dismissal of the employees concerned.
• Representing an online platform in a law suit filed by the largest Dutch trade union in which this union asked the court to confirm that employment or temporary employment contracts existed with the online platform.
• Representing three large security companies in proceedings in which a group of employees (in a class action) claimed that the agreements made in the collective labour agreement for the private security sector regarding irregular hours allowances during holidays are null and void on the basis of jurisprudence from the European Court of Justice.
• Advising a large French-Italian eyewear company on the acquisition of a Dutch multinational eyewear retailer, including the works council process.

Johan's expertise and knowledge in complex and flexible workforce employment matters is highlighted by his membership of the Commissie Borstlap, an independent commission of experts appointed by the Government of the Netherlands, which examined the state and future of the Dutch employment market. In April 2022 Johan's expertise and thought leadership on employment matters was again acknowledged with his appointment as a member of the Advisory body on the legal position of political office-holders. This independent body will advise the Dutch Minister of the Interior, the Senate and the House of Representatives directly on the terms of employment of political office holders such as administrators and elected representatives at both national and local government level.

• Zwemmer, J. P. H. (2022). Uitzending of detachering/contracting: wat is nou gezag? Annotatie bij Hof Arnhem- Leeuwarden 25 oktober 2022, ECLI:NL:GHARL:2022:9163 Tijdschrift voor Arbeidsrecht in Context, 2022/4.
• Zwemmer, J. P. H. (2022). Uitbetaling niet-opgenomen vakantiedagen is essentiële arbeidsvoorwaarde in de zin van de Uitzendrichtlijn. Case note on: HvJ-EU, 12/05/22, ECLI:EU:C:2022:373 (GD, ES, / Luso Temp – Empresa de Trabalho Temporário SA). 
• Zwemmer, J. P. H., & Doorn, H. L. (2022). Recht op tewerkstelling: terug naar de bron: Naar een terughoudender beoordelingsmaatstaf door de (lagere) rechter en naar een gelijke toepassing hiervan binnen arbeidsrechtelijke driehoeksverhoudingen. ArbeidsRecht, 2022/8.
• Zwemmer, J. P. H. (2022). Pakketvergelijking arbeidsvoorwaarden bij intra-concerndetachering. Case note on: Rechtbank-Zeeland-West-Brabant, 26/01/22, ECLI:NL:RBZWB:2022:324
• Zwemmer, J. P. H. (2021). Arbeidsrechtelijke driehoeksverhoudingen: De uitzendovereenkomst, payrolling, detachering en contracting. Boom juridisch 2021. 
• Zwemmer, J. P. H. (2021). Bij scheepswerf gebruikte constructie is uitzending, geen contracting. Case note on: Rb. Noord-Nederland, 13/10/20, ECLI:NL:RBNNE:2020:3465 (Federatie Nederlandse Vakbeweging / Veka Shipyard Lemmer). 
• Zwemmer, J. P. H. (2020). De drie rijbanen van de Commissie Borstlap: Naar een nieuw, werkbaar evenwicht tussen bescherming, ordening én ruimte voor ondernemerschap! Tijdschrift voor Arbeidsrecht in Context, 2020/1.
• Zwemmer, J. P. H. & Peels, M. C. E. (2020). De cao-ontslagcommissie: welke afwijkende selectiecriteria worden in de praktijk gehanteerd en is er een (nieuwe) toekomst voor de ontslagcommissie? ArbeidsRecht, 2020-6/7
• Zwemmer, J. P. H. (2020). Omzeilen ketenregeling via uitzendbureau leidt tot ontstaan arbeidsovereenkomst voor onbepaalde tijd. Case note on: HR, 21/02/20, ECLI:NL:HR:2020:312 (Taxi Dorenbos Drenthe BV t. werknemer).