Legal assistance with contract issues

Questioner

For the period from today until 30 July 2013, employees are also asked to make a contribution. This contribution amounts to 10% of each person's contract hours. In compensation for this, 10% of the company's profit for 2013 will be paid out to employees. For 2014, this will be 5%. Please indicate below how you would like to contribute your 10%: -extra work -surrender salary -partly working extra hours and partly giving up salary.. Can this be requested by a company? Hope to get an answer soon. We need to give an answer by July 26th.. Yours sincerely,

Lawyer

A company may not demand this of an employee. However, it may ask whether the employee voluntarily cooperates. You may therefore voluntarily choose from the three alternatives. So if you do not want to cooperate, you cannot be forced to do so. Of course, the offer to receive a 10% profit distribution will then also lapse, so you will of course not receive that.

Questioner

Thank you for your quick response. My contract also expires in November and they still can't tell me if I'll get a permanent contract! So now I'm left with the question: is it wise to agree to it. 10% of my salary I find very much! And there is also no guarantee that there will be profit in 2013.. All questions they can't answer..

Lawyer

Of course, you run the risk that no permanent contract will be provided, especially if things are going so badly. If you no longer have a contract from November, you will not receive any profit sharing in 2013 and 2014. If you agree to the wage reduction, there is even a chance that you will receive a lower unemployment benefit due to the lower wage. On the other hand, you will not be thanked if you do not agree, so you may be jeopardizing your chance of a permanent job. This is a difficult choice that you have to make yourself, because legally you can choose both options

Questioner

Thank you. I have a meeting next week first about my contract and then I will make a decision.