Eervol ontslag

Honourable discharge

Honourable discharge is the termination of an employment contract in which the employee bears no fault. It is the counterpart to dishonourable discharge and usually results in favourable consequences for benefits and references.

Honourable dismissal is a concept in Dutch employment law referring to a termination of employment in which the employee is not held responsible for the ending of the employment relationship. This may arise in the event of a reorganisation, the expiry of a fixed-term contract or retirement.

Its relevance lies principally in the consequences for the employee: an honourable dismissal generally preserves the employee’s entitlement to unemployment benefits and permits the provision of a neutral or positive reference. A dishonourable dismissal, by contrast, may involve seriously culpable conduct, which can give rise to sanctions or the refusal of benefits.

In practice, honourable dismissal is frequently recorded in a settlement agreement or by order of the subdistrict court, with the employer expressly confirming that no culpability attaches to the employee.

“Following the reorganisation, the employee was granted an honourable discharge, enabling him to apply for a WW benefit without difficulty.”

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