The FNV trade union federation has called on the cabinet to bring in legislation that will give workers the right not to react if contacted by their employer during time off.

Similar legislation already exists in other countries and is about to be introduced in Australia, the biggest Dutch union group said this week.

Such an agreement, deputy chairwoman Kitty Jong said, will help prevent burnout. “People should not have to be on duty 24 hours a day,” she told broadcaster NOS.

In 2019, a clause giving workers the right to be unreachable outside working hours was included in the disability care sector’s pay and conditions agreement  (CAO). That concept has since been included several other CAOs, including the one for civil servants.

But, this, de Jong said, means the clause can be renegotiated during new pay rounds. “That is why it should be set down in law, for everyone,” she said.

In 2020, the Labour party submitted draft legislation to parliament that would require employers and staff to make agreements on communication outside official working hours, but nothing has since happened.

Jong said she would raise the issue again when she meets participation minister Jurgen Nobel next week.

“Up to now we have had cabinets which protect employers when it comes to working conditions,” she said. “We are going to see if all those parties which pledged to act on behalf of the hardworking Dutch are going to live up to their promises.”