Booking Holdings—Booking.com sued its own works council in Amsterdam court to force mandatory 2-day office return for ~7,000 staff, with termination threatened for non-compliance

After its Amsterdam works council withheld consent on May 22, 2026 to a proposed mandatory two-day-per-week office attendance policy (replacing a non-binding 40%-of-time guidance under which average attendance had fallen to 27%), Booking.com filed for court-ordered substitute consent on June 30, 2026. At an October 6, 2026 Amsterdam court hearing, Booking.com argued competitive pressure, including from AI, required more in-person collaboration; the works council objected that the company had not shown the policy would achieve its goals, had not tried less restrictive alternatives, and offered no compensating measures. The proposed policy includes disciplinary measures up to termination for repeated non-compliance. The judge signaled sympathy for Booking.com's position at the hearing; a ruling was expected in late October 2026.