I should also add that another colleage who was terminated for completely different reasons - because the company did not follow the government process - did win his case and was re-instated. Not saying that I want to return to the company, but I would like to have my NL residence status to stay intact, and perhaps more compensation.

Hi SwampedZombie - Thanks for your posting. Yes, I tried as much as possible to work while having treatments. I found working for this company to be very negative. It is a very American, run by the spreadsheets kind of company. I am surprised I lasted three years, and have needed a year living on the beach in Florida to recover. Only in the last six months has normal sleep and dream patterns returned. Before I was in a constant state of exhaustion, and kept getting sick. In June 2010 my manager at the time refused to reimburse me for a business trip because although I was present and contributed to daytime meetings, I was just too tired to attend the evening team dinner. I had to get my psychologist at the time to write a letter and threaten to take the issue to the OR in order to get reimbursed. I was reimbursed, but six months later they fired me. The referral letter from the GP and letter form the psychologist is below. Now that my energy is recovering, something tells me something is fishy about the way my company did this, and some Dutch friends have said the same to me. 16 December 2009 Geachte college, John Smith heft sinds enkele maanded het gevoel de stress op zijn werk niet meer aan te kunnen. Hij slaapt slecht en kan zich niet op zijn taken concentreren. Doordat hij als Expat zonder familie in Nederland woont voelt hij zich vaak eenzaam en geisoleerd. Garne uw deskundige beoordeling en behandeling. 28 June 2010 I first saw John Smith on 4 February 2010 after he had been referred to me through the ACCESS program here in Den Haag. Mr. Smith was seeking therapy at the time due to feeling anxious and also a bit depressed. In February we met four times and have had five sessions in the months of March through June. I feel that John has used the therapy well to care for himself, but can report that in the month of February he was feeling quite low which led him to be unable to fulfill some of his professional and personal responsibilities. He continued to work as well as possible, but it did seem that some tasks became impossible for him to complete. I feel he is functioning much better now but did want to offer my opinion of how the last few months have gone for him.

Uuugh, thanks for the non-advice, Captain Hindsight. Specifically I am looking for an advocaat to help me take my case to the Ondernehmingsraad and get have it ruled they couldn't end the contract so easily while knowing I was being treated for burnout and depression.

Hi Everyone -

 

After three years my multi-national employer in Holland decided to have cutback and terminated my permanent contract.  I have been seeing a psychologist for a year for burnout, anxiety and depression resulting from doing two jobs at work for some time, and have not opted to take the route so many Dutch people do - that of taking a leave.

 

I have notified a manager long ago that I was seeing someone for this via email (they have since left the company for the same thing), as well as my most previous boss, verbally.  The case has been documented by my GP and my psychologist.

 

The advocaat I have from my insurance program seems useless.  Can anyone recommend someone I can speak to regarding legal recourse.

 

Thanks!