If you are working in the Netherlands and have ended up on this article looking for information about the zero-hours contract in the Netherlands , you are very likely going through a period of deep uncertainty or are about to sign a document that will set the rules for your financial survival abroad.
At International Job Challenge we are neither bureaucrats nor employment law theorists. We are strategic advisers and experts in international recruitment. That is why we have prepared this comprehensive guide of more than 2,000 words to break down how the Nulurencontract (zero-hours contract) really works in 2026.
Here you will discover how this model works, the exact legal tools Dutch legislation gives you to defend yourself and why choosing agencies that offer minimum guarantees is the only smart decision if you want your migration adventure to pay off.
1. What technically is a Nulurencontract (zero-hours contract)?
The zero-hours contract—known in Dutch as a Nulurencontract and legally classified in the category of oproepcontracten (on-call or on-demand contracts)—is an employment relationship in which, at the time of signing, no fixed number of weekly or monthly working hours is stipulated.
[Signing the Nulurencontract]
│
├──► Lots of work in the warehouse? ──► You work 40 or 50 hours (You earn a lot)
│
└──► Client orders drop? ──► You get 0 hours (You earn 0 euros)
Under this contractual framework, the operational dynamic comes down to two basic rules:
The company only calls you when it needs you: if there is a production peak due to a promotional campaign or too many containers at the loading dock, you are assigned shifts.
You are only paid for the hours you actually work: if there is no call, there is no work and therefore no pay of any kind.
This model was theoretically created to offer flexibility to local students or people looking for extra income alongside small jobs. However, in the context of international recruitment for the large logistics and industrial hubs (the North Brabant and Limburg regions, etc.), it has become the perfect tool for low-cost agencies to operate without bearing the cost of market fluctuations. If the client cancels a shift, the agency doesn't lose money; you do.
2. La oscura realidad del «Cero Horas» con alojamiento vinculado
When a local worker signs a zero-hours contract, the impact of a bad week is limited to earning less money, but they still have their support network: they live in their own home, know the area and can quickly look for alternatives.
The real systemic drama happens when a foreign worker signs this contract under a fully integrated model that includes accommodation provided by the employment agency itself. This is where what we call the negative balance trap kicks in:
The fixed deductions loop
Even if your contract says you have zero guaranteed hours, the costs of your stay in the Netherlands are not zero euros. Week after week, the agency will charge your mandatory fixed costs:
The weekly rate for residential accommodation (which under SNF certification is usually around €110 to €140 per week).
The mandatory private health insurance premium ( Zorgverzekering ), deducted directly from your payslip (about €35 to €40 per week).
If you have two consecutive weeks in which the destination warehouse reduces its activity to a minimum and the agency only assigns you 8 or 10 hours of work a week, your gross salary will not be enough to cover the cost of accommodation and insurance.
What does the agency's software do? Your payslip goes negative. That negative balance builds up as an internal debt with the agency, which will be automatically deducted from your payslips in the following weeks when the volume of work picks up again. You find yourself working full days in the future simply to pay off the debt from the weeks you spent sitting idle in your room.
3. The legal shield: workers' rights in 2026 that agencies hide
Fortunately, the Dutch regulatory framework does not allow absolute exploitation. There are strict laws designed to protect on-call employees, but rogue agencies take great care not to explain them during your onboarding sessions.
If you have signed a Nulurencontract , these are your three most powerful legal weapons to defend your wallet:
A. The minimum 3 hours per call rule ( De 3-uursregeling )
Si tu supervisor te envía un mensaje para que vayas al almacén a cubrir una urgencia o a descargar un camión de imprevisto, y a las dos horas de estar allí te dice: «Ya hemos terminado, te puedes volver a casa» , la ley se pone de tu parte de forma tajante.
Under article 7:628a of the Dutch Civil Code, every time a company calls you in to work under an on-call contract, it is legally obliged to pay you a minimum of 3 hours' salary , regardless of whether you have only worked 30 minutes or an hour. If they send you home early, the company must pay you the difference up to 3 hours at your usual rate.
B. The 4-day notice period ( De oproeptermijn )
La empresa no puede jugar con tu tiempo como si fueses un robot de almacenamiento. La ley de equilibrio del mercado laboral ( WAB – Wet Arbeidsmarkt en Balans ) establece unos plazos de preaviso muy claros que debes vigilar:
[Shift Notification]
│
├─► 4 or more days in advance ──► Normal legal process.
│
└─► Less than 4 days ─────────────► You have the legal right to REFUSE the shift without penalty.
Late cancellations: if the agency has assigned you a shift in the schedule and cancels or changes it less than 4 days before it starts, you are legally entitled to be paid for the full shift as originally planned, even if you don't go to work.
Note on collective agreements: it is vital to check your collective agreement. The general collective agreement for employment agencies ( ABU or NBBU ) allows this notice period to be reduced to 3 days in certain Phase A situations, but never to just a few hours before the shift. If your shift is cancelled the night before by WhatsApp, that day must be paid.
C. The presumption of working hours ( Rechtsvermoeden van arbeidsomvang )
This is the crown jewel of Dutch employment law and the one that most terrifies the legal departments of negligent agencies. The law assumes that if a flexible situation continues for a long time, it stops being flexible and becomes a real work pattern.
The Civil Code states that if you have worked for a company for a continuous period of 3 months (13 weeks), you are entitled to claim fixed guaranteed hours based on the average number of hours you worked during that quarter.
Practical example of calculating the average ( Rechtsvermoeden ):
Imagine you sign a zero-hours contract and during your first three months at a textile distribution centre your actual weekly hours were as follows:
Month 1 (Weeks 1 to 4): 40 hours, 38 hours, 42 hours, 40 hours.
Month 2 (Weeks 5 to 8): 36 hours, 35 hours, 40 hours, 38 hours.
Month 3 (Weeks 9 to 13): 42 hours, 40 hours, 41 hours, 39 hours, 40 hours.
If we add up all the hours worked in the 13 weeks and calculate the mathematical average, the result is an exact average of 39.3 hours per week .
At the start of the fourth month, you can send a formal request to the agency demanding the application of the rechtsvermoeden . From that moment on, the agency is legally obliged to change your contract and guarantee you payment for a minimum of 39.3 hours a week , regardless of whether the warehouse runs out of work or the client's sales drop. Your right has been established on the basis of the reality of your effort.
4. The obligation to offer fixed hours after one year
If the three-month rule seems powerful, the protection Dutch law introduces after 12 months of service with the company is definitive.
The law requires any employer (including temporary employment agencies) to make a formal written offer of a fixed number of guaranteed hours to a worker who has completed one year on an on-call contract.
The rules of the 12-month offer:
Calculating the offer: the number of hours the company must offer you on a fixed basis must be at least the exact average number of hours you worked during those first 12 months.
Legal deadline: the company has a maximum of 1 month from the day you complete one year of service to present this offer to you in writing.
Consecuencias de la omisión: Si la agencia se «despista», ignora la ley y no te presenta el documento de oferta de horas fijas en el plazo establecido, incurre en una falta legal automática. A partir del mes 13, tendrás derecho a cobrar el salario equivalente a la media de horas del año anterior , independientemente de las horas que te asignen en el panel de control, e incluso si no te llaman para trabajar en toda la semana. Podrás reclamar ese dinero de forma retroactiva ante los tribunales laborales o mediante el arbitraje del sindicato.
5. The Phase A contract with an Agency Clause ( Uitzendbeding )
To understand the agency ecosystem in the Netherlands, it is impossible to analyse the zero-hours contract without cross-referencing it with the phase system regulated by the ABU and NBBU collective agreements. When you start working for an agency, your first months take place under what is known as Phase A (or Phases 1 and 2 depending on the applicable agreement).
[Phase A with Uitzendbeding] = Maximum Volatility
* The client ends the service ──► The contract ends that same day.
* There is no mandatory notice period for dismissal in the first weeks.
If your Phase A contract includes the Agency Clause ( Uitzendbeding ) , volatility multiplies:
The clause stipulates that the employment contract exists only and exclusively as long as the end client (the warehouse where you work) requires your services.
If the warehouse cancels its contract with the agency due to a restructuring or the end of a season, your employment contract ends automatically that same day, without the need for complex dismissal letters or long notice periods.
Combining a Phase A contract with an agency clause and a zero-hours model in the same document is the most vulnerable scenario possible for a migrant. You are exposed to absolute instability where your monthly financial planning becomes a weekly lottery.
6. The smart strategy: look for agencies with guaranteed hours
At this point in our critical analysis of the Dutch labour market, the operational conclusion is clear: if your goal in travelling to the Netherlands is to save money, stabilise your finances and send money to your family in Spain or Portugal, signing a zero-hours contract blindly with an unknown agency is an unacceptable risk.
The only real alternative to protect your investment of time and money is to work with top-level international mobility agencies that break this dynamic by including minimum guaranteed hours clauses .
The value of guaranteed hours
When you sign with a serious organisation that takes responsibility as an employer, your contract specifies a minimum number of guaranteed hours per week (usually between 32 and 40 guaranteed hours). This completely changes the rules of the migration game:
Costs covered: you have absolute certainty that, whatever happens at the loading docks, your weekly gross salary will far exceed the cost of SNF accommodation and health insurance. You will never see a negative payslip.
Peace of mind: you don't depend on whether the warehouse supervisor likes you to be assigned more or fewer shifts in the mobile app; your base salary is protected by contract.
Real corporate risk: if the logistics client reduces its activity, the agency is obliged to keep paying your guaranteed hours. As a result, the agency itself will move at top speed to place you with another of its clients in the area within 48 hours so as not to lose its own profit margin. The risk is back in the hands of the company, where it belongs, and not on the worker's shoulders.
7. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) about the Nulurencontract
Can I have two zero-hours contracts at the same time in the Netherlands?
Yes, legally it is perfectly possible. As there is no guaranteed fixed schedule or mandatory exclusivity by law in this type of contract, you are entitled to sign a Nulurencontract with two different employment agencies or combine it with a part-time job in hospitality or delivery. The only real limit you need to watch is compliance with the Working Hours Act ( Arbeidstijdenwet ) , which prohibits working more than 60 hours a week or exceeding an average of 55 hours a week over a period of 4 consecutive weeks, adding up the time from all your jobs.
Am I entitled to holidays and sick leave with a zero-hours contract?
Yes, absolutely, on a proportional basis. Workers with on-call contracts enjoy exactly the same fundamental rights as a full-time worker:
Holidays: for every hour you actually spend working on the production line, you build up a percentage of money for your holiday balance ( Vakantiedagen ) and your summer holiday pay ( Vakantiegeld ), equivalent to 8% of your gross income.
Illness: if you fall ill on a day when you had a shift assigned and confirmed in your work schedule, the agency is obliged to process your sick leave and pay you the legal percentage for that lost day (generally 70% or 90% depending on the ABU/NBBU agreements, after the mandatory waiting day).
What happens if I refuse to go to work when the agency calls me?
Under the nature of a Nulurencontract , flexibility theoretically works both ways. If the agency calls you with the legal 4-day notice period, you are obliged to accept the shift , unless you have a justified reason of force majeure (illness or family emergency). If you repeatedly and systematically refuse shifts without legal justification, the agency may interpret your behaviour as a clear lack of interest in working, stop future shift calls or terminate your Phase A contract immediately using the agency clause ( uitzendbeding ).
Can I get my final settlement if I am still tied to the zero-hours contract but they don't call me?
Si la agencia pasa semanas sin asignarte ningún turno pero mantiene tu contrato «abierto» para evitar liquidarte, están incurriendo en una práctica de congelación de fondos ilegal. Si demuestras que el vínculo operativo se ha roto (por ejemplo, si llevas más de un mes con cero horas asignadas sin mediar causa por tu parte), tienes derecho a exigir la rescisión formal de la relación laboral por inactividad del empleador y solicitar el abono inmediato de tu Eindafrekening (la liquidación final de todas tus huchas de vacaciones acumuladas y no disfrutadas).
Conclusion: information is your best employment safety net
Emigrating to the logistics heart of Europe is one of the most profitable and transformative decisions you can make to relaunch your career and stabilise your personal finances. However, the success of this financial move doesn't depend on luck; it depends on valuable information and the analytical ability with which you read documents before signing.
The zero-hours contract ( Nulurencontract ) is not a sentence of poverty in itself, but in the hands of negligent or rogue recruitment platforms, it becomes a mechanism of precarity that dilutes your rights and exposes you to unfair housing debts. Knowing the law on the minimum of 3 hours per call, the mandatory 4-day notice period and the right to presumed hours based on your average after the third month is your best shield in the Netherlands.
At International Job Challenge we reject the precarity of phantom contracts and the empty promises that abound on social media. We believe the only way to build a solid multinational business is by respecting the dignity and financial stability of our team on the ground. That is why we eliminate the risks of the traditional zero-hours model. We offer you transparent employment contracts with real guarantees of weekly hours , place you in stable, high-quality residences backed by the strict official SNF certification and provide a team of legal and HR advisers dedicated to ensuring meticulous compliance with Dutch legislation.
Protect your effort, secure your income and travel with the peace of mind of being backed by leading professionals in the sector.
👉 Explore our job offers with guaranteed hours in the Netherlands ,
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