Employee refuses reinstatement and remains entitled to transfer payment
The Court of Appeal of 's-Hertogenbosch recently ruled that an employee retains the right to a transitional allowance if he refuses reinstatement in another suitable position when his own position becomes redundant. In this particular case, the position of a domestic violence case manager had become redundant from 1 January 2022. The employer offered the employee the opportunity to continue working in other suitable positions, but the employee refused this reassignment.
The employer went to the UWV to get permission for dismissal for an economic reason. After receiving permission from the UWV, the employer terminated the contract without paying a transfer fee. The employer's motivation was that the employee had refused suitable positions and that this would be seriously culpable behaviour.
No serious culpability in refusing reinstatement.
The employee filed a case seeking payment of the transition allowance enforce. The subdistrict court ruled that the employer did have to pay the transitional compensation. The judge stressed that the employee was free to refrain from accepting offered positions for reasons of his own. His decision could not be considered seriously culpable behaviour.
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Employer responsible for lapsed job
The 's-Hertogenbosch Court of Appeal confirmed that the transition allowance is in principle due if the employment contract is terminated on the initiative of the employer under the Work and Security Act (WWZ). However, the court noted that only in exceptional cases does the employer not have to pay the transition fee. Such an exceptional case occurs when the termination is the result of seriously culpable behaviour by the employee. In this case, the responsibility for not being able to perform the agreed job lay with the employer himself.
Employee was already disadvantaged by loss of job and has the right to freedom of employment choice.
The employee had already suffered damages from the loss of his own job. In addition, the court noted that the risk of not accepting the offered positions did not lie solely with the employee. The employer could not assume that the employee was entitled to a transition allowance would lose. The court stressed that the obligation of effort to reinstate the employee lies with the employer and not the employee. Indeed, the employee always retains the right to freedom of employment choice.
Source: 's-Hertogenbosch Court of Appeal, 6 July 2023, ECLI (abbreviated): 2207