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Mirjam A. de Blécourt

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Mirjam de Blécourt has been repeatedly recognized by top legal directories as one of the leading labor and employment lawyers in Europe and the Netherlands. She leads Baker McKenzie’s Amsterdam Employment and Pensions Law practice group and is member of the Firm's European Employment Group Steering Committee. Furthermore Mirjam is a former board member of Baker McKenzie's Amsterdam office.
Mirjam has always been very active in the diversity and inclusion sphere, both outside and inside Baker McKenzie. She currently serves as chair of the supervisory board for Rutgers (international centre of expertise on (women’s) health and rights). Additionally she serves as senator of VVD (People's Party for Freedom and Democracy) in the Dutch Senate. Mirjam joined Baker McKenzie in 1990 and has been a partner since 1999.

The Dutch government and the Dutch tax authorities recently outlined their approach to enforcing rules against false self-employment, with significant changes set to take effect on 1 January 2025. This news alert highlights the criteria under which the current rules will be enforced, the motions adopted to ensure a smoother transition to the new enforcement regime, and the key takeaways for organizations.

Defining, identifying and addressing inappropriate workplace behavior is increasingly a business-critical issue. Although local differences apply, many jurisdictions have similar legal requirements for protection of employees. This article explores the current legal framework, as well as the risks and litigation landscape, in the United Kingdom, Spain, the Netherlands, South Africa and the United Arab Emirates.

Although things seemed to be going badly for a while and a deal looked unlikely, the EU Parliament and the Council of the EU have finally reached an agreement on the proposed Platform Workers Directive (the “Directive”). This time, it looks likely to progress to adoption and, ultimately, implementation across the EU member states. 

The Directive aims to improve the working conditions of individuals performing work for a digital labor platform.

On 12 June 2023, after lengthy negotiations, the Council of the EU agreed on the proposal for a directive that aims to better protect platform workers. This opens the door to negotiations between the Council and the European Parliament on the final directive. The directive aims to ensure that platform workers have or can obtain the appropriate employment status through the introduction of a legal presumption. In addition, the directive provides for rules regarding the transparency of the use of algorithms within the platform economy.