"Regulations judge" to quickly handle simple labor disputes
From next week, four Dutch courts will have “regulation judges” to handle simple civil cases about work conflicts, such as disagreements about payments. The idea is that these judges will be able to handle the cases more quickly, without costing a lot of money or having to submit a lot of legal papers, lowering the threshold for citizens and relieving pressure on the Dutch legal system, NOS reports.
The subdistrict courts of The Hague, Rotterdam, Overijssel, and Zeeland-West-Brabant will experiment with these regulation judges for three years. Similar experiments have been done in recent years in which the regulation judge ruled on things like rental issues, labor disputes, family matters, or disputes about money less than 5,000 euros. For the time being, the new experiment will only be continued for labor issues.
State Secretary Teun Struycken for Legal Protection and Minister Eddy van Hijum of Social Affairs and Employment are enthusiastic about the experiment and think that a regulation judge can be particularly beneficial for migrant workers, flexible workers, and freelancers. “I am pleased that with the regulation judge, we are removing a number of thresholds, making it easier to go to court,” Van Hijum said. “This way, migrant workers get what they are entitled to.”
The government hopes that these regulation judges will handle about 400 cases per year. A person can apply for a case online using a simple form. The court will check that the case is not too complex and will then summon the defendant to a hearing, where the applicant must provide an oral explanation of the case. The judge will then try to settle the matter. If the parties cannot reach an agreement, the judge will give a ruling as soon as possible.
According to State Secretary Struycken, the simpler procedure lowers the legal, practical, and financial thresholds of going to court. “This allows a person seeking justice to start a procedure without the need for specific knowledge and skills or legal assistance.”
