Johan Zwemmer Ph.D.

Areas of experience

• Business transformations: restructuring, outsourcing, acquisitions, post-acquisition integration (also including social plan negotiations, employee representative consultation, severance packages)
• Corporate misconduct, whistleblowing, investigations
• Confidential information and restraints, business protection
• Flexible workforces – non-regular worker challenges
• Collective employment issues: company closures and strikes, litigation against unions
• Harassment, discrimination and diversity

Key experience

• Advising an international chemical company on the structure of its growing temporary /flexible workforce and on the hiring of different types of personnel (framework agreements with employment agencies regarding the hiring of (temporary) staff) and on the implementation of an alcohol and drugs policy.
• Advising a large energy supply company on the intended privatisation, including the works council process.
• Advising a media company with the restructuring of its Dutch workforce following the merger with another media company.
• Advising a bank with the harmonization of the working conditions of the workforce after the acquisition of another bank.
• Advising a large retailer on the reorganization of its organizational structure and the relocation and collective dismissal of the employees concerned.
• Representing an online platform in a law suit filed by the largest Dutch trade union in which this union asked the court to confirm that employment or temporary employment contracts existed with the online platform.
• Representing three large security companies in proceedings in which a group of employees (in a class action) claimed that the agreements made in the collective labour agreement for the private security sector regarding irregular hours allowances during holidays are null and void on the basis of jurisprudence from the European Court of Justice.
• Advising a large French-Italian eyewear company on the acquisition of a Dutch multinational eyewear retailer, including the works council process.

Johan's expertise and knowledge in complex and flexible workforce employment matters is highlighted by his membership of the Commissie Borstlap, an independent commission of experts appointed by the Government of the Netherlands, which examined the state and future of the Dutch employment market. In April 2022 Johan's expertise and thought leadership on employment matters was again acknowledged with his appointment as a member of the Advisory body on the legal position of political office-holders. This independent body will advise the Dutch Minister of the Interior, the Senate and the House of Representatives directly on the terms of employment of political office holders such as administrators and elected representatives at both national and local government level.

• Zwemmer, J. P. H. & de Weijs, R. J. (2026). Pre-pack en werknemersbescherming: de Wovof in het licht van de Europese pre-pack in de Harmonisatierichtlijn Insolventierecht. ArbeidsRecht, 2026/1.
• Zwemmer, J. P. H. (2026). Misbruik van uitzendovereenkomst indien geen sprake is van tijdelijk werk. 14. Case note on: Hoge Raad, 21/11/25, ECLI:NL:HR:2025:1733, JAR 2026/14.
• Zwemmer, J. P. H., de Weijs, R.J. & Ratti, L. (2025). Employees’ protection under the EU Pre-pack Directive after the Trilogue: Employees’ protection under TUPE is alive and employees will still transfer in case of related party pre-packs!. Corporate Finance Lab: Employees’ protection under the EU Pre-pack Directive after the Trilogue: Employees’ protection under TUPE is alive and employees will still transfer in case of related party pre-packs! – Corporate Finance Lab
  
• Zwemmer, J. P. H. & Boot, T. O. (2025). Over het spanningsveld tussen het recht van de OR de achterban te raadplegen over een (voorgenomen) besluit van de ondernemer en aan de OR opgelegde geheimhouding. ArbeidsRecht, 2025/42.
  
• Zwemmer, J. P. H. & Boot, T. O. (2024). Besluit niet kennelijk onredelijk, OR moet concretiseren welke toelichting ontbreekt. 285. Case note on: Hof Amsterdam, 5/09/24, ECLI:NL:GHAMS:2024:2748 (Pluryn). JAR 2024/285.
  
• Zwemmer, J. P. H. & van der Neut, N. M. Q. (2023). De 'S' in ESG en het gebruikmaken van een flexibele schil bij de inzet van arbeidskrachten in de onderneming. Tijdschrift voor Arbeidsrecht in Context, 2023(3).
  
• Zwemmer, J. P. H. (2023). Permanente overplaatsing personeel valt niet binnen de reikwijdte van de Uitzendrichtlijn. 201. Case note on: HvJ EU, 22/06/23, C-427/21, ECLI:EU:C:2023:505 (LD / ALB FILS Kliniken). JAR 2023/201.
  
• Zwemmer, J. P. H. (2023). Uitzendbeding tijdens ziekte vereist actieve handeling van de inlener. 105. Case note on: HR, 17/03/23, 21/04342, ECLI:NL:HR:2023:426 (Uitzendbureau Solutions). JAR 2023/105.
• Zwemmer, J. P. H. (2022). Uitbetaling niet-opgenomen vakantiedagen is essentiële arbeidsvoorwaarde in de zin van de Uitzendrichtlijn. 145. Case note on: HvJ EU, 12/05/22, C-426/20, ECLI:EU:C:2022:373 (Luso Temp). JAR 2022/145.