Call-up cancelled or schedule changed: still entitled to wages

Reference date 16 September 2026

Does your employer cancel a call-up at the last minute or change the agreed working hours? If you fall under the rules for on-call contracts, you are in principle entitled to wages for the original call-up when the change is made within four days before the work was due to start. An applicable collective labour agreement (cao) can shorten that period to no less than twenty-four hours.

Written by Onur Arslan, attorney at Arslan Advocaten. Registered in the specialisation register of the Netherlands Bar for employment law and personal injury. Last updated: 17 September 2026.

This happens, for example, when the restaurant is quiet, the shop needs fewer staff or an event does not go ahead. You had kept the time free and may have turned down other work. A message saying you no longer need to come in does not then automatically mean that your wages are lost as well.

Here you can read how the rules work as at 16 September 2026, how to prove a change to your schedule and how to calculate the wages you are missing. The precise outcome depends on your contract, the applicable cao and the question of who cancelled the shift.

Which employees are covered by this protection

The special call-up rules in Article 7:628a of the Dutch Civil Code (BW) are relevant to an on-call contract. Zero-hours contracts and min-max contracts usually fall within that category. The legal classification is determined by what has been agreed about working hours and pay, not merely by the word “on-call worker” on the contract.

Do you work a fixed number of hours for a fixed wage, but at varying times? Then you are not an on-call worker merely because your schedule varies. A cancelled shift may still be at the employer’s expense, but possibly under the ordinary wage rules and the cao rather than under the special cancellation rule.

With agency work, too, it must first be established what kind of contract you have with the agency. The shop or factory where you work is not automatically the party that owes you your wages. Keep messages from both the agency and the hirer, and ask the agency in writing how it is dealing with the cancellation.

What is a call-up for work

A call-up makes clear when you are expected to work. The employer must notify you of the times of the work in writing or electronically. An email, a WhatsApp message or a schedule made available to you can serve that purpose. Do not only keep a notification that there is a new schedule, but also the content of that schedule.

An open question about who might be available is not in every situation a definitive call-up. The same applies to a schedule that is clearly still a draft. Even so, the label “draft” is not decisive where, under the usual way of working, employees are expected to turn up in accordance with that schedule. The context and earlier arrangements also count.

In the event of a dispute, confirmations help, such as an accepted shift, a message from your manager or a schedule that has already been sent to the team. Write down the start and finish times, the date on which the schedule was communicated and the way in which you received the call-up. A wage claim becomes stronger when the specific arrangement can be shown.

The four-day period and the cao

The statutory main rule is a call-up period of at least four calendar days. If you are called up later than that, you cannot be required to come in on the basis of that late call-up alone. You may, however, voluntarily agree to work the shift. Record what you accept, so that no disagreement arises later about times or duration.

A cao can shorten the period to at least twenty-four hours. A manager cannot arrange this on their own by writing in the group chat that one day’s notice will be enough from now on. Check whether the relevant cao applies, which provision applies and whether your job falls within it.

For certain seasonal jobs described in the law, a cao may contain a special exception. A business that is busier in summer does not automatically fall under such an exception. The specific job and the statutory conditions must be examined. The Dutch government page on on-call contracts sets out the general principles.

In a borderline case, the period must be calculated carefully. Keep the exact times, therefore, and do not rely solely on the wording “four working days”. The law speaks of days here; weekend days cannot simply be left out of account.

The employer cancels the whole shift

If the employer withdraws the call-up entirely within the applicable period, wages for the original call-up remain payable in principle. The cancellation must also be made in writing or electronically. A phone call alone makes proof more difficult, so confirm the conversation straight away in a message.

Fictitious example. A week in advance, you are scheduled for Friday from 18.00 to 24.00. On Thursday evening, the manager writes that you can stay at home because there are too few reservations. You fall under the statutory four-day period and were planning to work the shift. The original six hours then in principle remain the basis of your wage entitlement.

At a fictitious hourly wage of € 20 gross, the ordinary wage basis is 6 × € 20 = € 120 gross. It must then be examined which wage components count under the contract and the cao. A pure reimbursement of travel expenses that were not incurred is something other than wages. So do not automatically copy every item from an old payslip.

A general arrangement that no work is done when it is quiet does not simply set aside the statutory protection. The employer must state which legally valid exception it relies on. Work disappearing at short notice is precisely the kind of situation in which the call-up protection matters.

You have to start later or finish earlier

A partial withdrawal or a change of times can also fall under the rule. Your employer therefore cannot simply reduce a shift from six to three hours at no cost by sending a new schedule shortly beforehand. Compare the original and the amended call-up side by side.

Fictitious example. You have been called up from 16.00 to 22.00. Shortly beforehand, you are told that you need not come in until 19.00. You end up working until 22.00. If the change falls within the protected period, wages may also be owed for the lost hours from 16.00 to 19.00. Do deduct the wages you receive for the hours worked from the claim that is still outstanding.

If you are only sent home during the shift, record who made that decision and why. The difference between being sent away by the employer and asking to leave early yourself is legally relevant. You could send, for example: “As you have just indicated, I am finishing today at 20.00 instead of the scheduled 23.00 due to insufficient work.”

A replacement shift does not automatically settle the wages

An employer may suggest making up the cancelled shift on another day. That may be practical, but it does not simply extinguish the original wage claim. The new call-up and the withdrawn call-up must be assessed separately.

Fictitious example. A protected six-hour shift on Friday is cancelled on Thursday. The employer offers a new six-hour shift on Sunday, which you accept and work. In principle, wages may be owed both for the withdrawn Friday shift and for the Sunday work actually performed. The new shift does not automatically wipe out the earlier cancellation.

Where times partly overlap or there are existing guaranteed hours, a precise calculation is needed. In that case, do not multiply every version of the schedule by your hourly wage without checking. First map out which hours were actually worked, what entitlement follows from the original call-up and which amounts have already been paid.

Moreover, a message saying that you have seen the new schedule does not automatically mean that you are waiving statutory wage rights. At the same time, it must remain clear which new shift you did or did not accept. Confirm both matters separately.

What if you ask for a schedule change yourself

If you yourself ask for a shift to be dropped because of an exam, a holiday or a private appointment, the situation is different. The statutory protection against withdrawal by the employer does not automatically give you wages for a shift that you do not work at your own request.

When you voluntarily swap with a colleague, too, it should be recorded who is taking over which shift and whether the employer agrees. A request in a group chat is not always a completed swap. Without confirmation, a dispute may arise about both the obligation to attend and the payment.

If you fall ill, treat that as a sickness report and not as voluntarily giving up a shift. The wage question is then partly determined by the rules on sickness. Do not write that you are giving up the shift for free when what you actually want to report is that you are medically unable to work. Keep the schedule that applied before you reported sick.

Cancellation outside the four-day period

If a shift is cancelled well in advance, wages do not automatically follow from the special rule on late withdrawal. There may, however, be other grounds. Consider guaranteed hours in a min-max contract, fixed working hours or the ordinary continued payment of wages where not working is at the employer’s risk.

With a zero-hours contract, a valid written exclusion of the ordinary obligation to continue paying wages may be relevant during the first six months. Extension by cao is not possible without limit. Also check whether your structural deployment gives grounds for relying on the legal presumption of working hours.

So the question is not only when the employer cancelled. The contractual minimum, the length of your employment and earlier work patterns also count. If you are kept off the schedule for weeks on end, read the broader explanation about no longer being called up.

How does this relate to the minimum of three hours’ wages

In addition to protection concerning call-ups and cancellations, Article 7:628a of the Dutch Civil Code provides for a minimum payment of three hours for certain short periods of work. This applies where the working hours have not been laid down, or not unambiguously, or where fewer than fifteen hours a week have been agreed and the working times have not been laid down.

If, under those conditions, you work only one or two hours, three hours’ wages may nevertheless be owed. You need to look at that entitlement separately from the question of whether a longer shift was cut short too late. An originally protected six-hour shift does not suddenly become worth no more than three hours because the employer sends you home early.

Conversely, three hours is not an extra bonus on top of all other wage items in every conceivable cancellation. Look at which statutory rule is being applied to which period of work. The Dutch government explains the conditions for three hours’ wages separately.

What evidence should you keep

Take screenshots of the original call-up and of every change, including the date and time. Keep your contract, the cao, your availability arrangements and the payslip on which the shift should have appeared. If the scheduling app deletes old versions, ask for an export or confirmation as soon as possible.

After a verbal discussion, note the name of the person you spoke to and what was said. A follow-up email helps to bring differences to light at an early stage. Also state whether you were available and willing to work. After all, a cancelled shift that you had already turned down yourself calls for a different assessment.

A compact overview prevents confusion:

How to request payment for the cancelled hours

Start with a factual request to your manager or the payroll department. State the shift, the moment of withdrawal and your calculation. Attach the most important screenshots. A reference to just “my rights” is less useful than a verifiable list of hours.

You could write, for example: “I was called up for [date and time]. This call-up was changed or withdrawn by the employer on [date and time]. I was available to work the original shift. Under the call-up rules that apply to me, I retain my entitlement to wages for the original call-up. I would like to receive the calculation and payment of the amount still outstanding, or a reasoned response.”

An initial administrative error can be resolved in this way. If the employer refuses payment, ask which contractual or cao provision it is relying on. Have that reasoning checked before you agree to a set-off, a make-up shift or a statement that you have no further claims.

If the employer continues to refuse

If the disagreement persists, a formal demand for payment of wages or a wage claim in court may be necessary. In addition to the wage arrears, statutory interest and the statutory increase for late payment may come into play. The conditions and any reduction must be assessed case by case.

Wage instalments are in principle subject to a limitation period of five years, counted from the date they became due. A correct written notice can interrupt the limitation period. If your income stops immediately, waiting is usually unwise. Where there is sufficient urgency, interim relief proceedings may be considered.

Arslan Advocaten can assess your contract, cao and schedule messages and calculate the wages you are missing. Read more about unpaid hours or our help with a wage claim. Also bring any messages showing that you were given fewer shifts after you asked for payment.

Frequently asked questions

Can my employer cancel my shift the same morning

That may happen in practice, but it does not mean that your wages are lost. With a protected call-up that is withdrawn within the applicable period, the original wage basis in principle remains. Check your contract and cao.

Does a schedule in an app count as a written call-up

A schedule communicated electronically can be a call-up. What matters is what was communicated, when that happened and whether it concerned a specific shift. Keep the version that applied before the employer made changes.

Can I refuse a call-up for tomorrow

Under the statutory four-day period, you are not obliged to accept a late call-up. A cao can shorten the period to at least twenty-four hours. So first check the applicable rules and respond clearly.

Are wages lost if the event is cancelled because of bad weather

Not automatically. The timing of the withdrawal and the applicable call-up rules remain important. A specific cao exception for seasonal jobs described in the law must actually apply. Bad weather in itself does not prove that exception.

Do I have to make up cancelled hours later for free

That does not automatically follow from a cancelled call-up. New work performed and the entitlement relating to the withdrawn shift must be processed correctly. Where there is a contractual hours arrangement, a separate assessment is needed to prevent an incorrect set-off.

What if I only have the amended schedule

Ask for earlier versions and look for confirmation emails, notifications or messages with colleagues. Also record what the manager said about the change. The current schedule view is not the only possible evidence.

Does this also apply to young people with a small side job

Yes, a small side job or being a student does not automatically cancel out statutory call-up protection. The contract and the cao determine which rules apply. In addition, special rules on permitted work and working hours apply to minors.

All the rules for on-call work in one place, with the article that explains each question in full: on-call workers: your rights at a glance.

Sources and legal basis

• Dutch Civil Code, Book 7: Articles 7:628, 7:628a and 7:628b.
• Dutch government on call-up periods and withdrawal.
• Dutch government on the minimum of three hours’ wages.
• Parliamentary explanatory memorandum on call-up protection.

Sources consulted on 16 September 2026. The examples are fictitious and assume that the call-up protection described applies.

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