Ajzen, Michel
Belgium: Snapshot of research findings on psychosocial risks at work
18 Ιανουάριος 2016
Psychosocial risks for workers have become a major issue in Belgium. A high priority for public authorities last year was to develop and improve policies to tackle work-related stress and particularly worker burnout. Many studies into such problems have also been conducted. This article gives an overview of these studies and of the legal background to more recent developments.
Belgium: Trade unions criticise pension reform proposals
27 Ιούλιος 2015
Proposed reforms to Belgium's pension system will – along with other changes – extend the retirement age to 67 by 2030. The proposed reforms have attracted strong criticism from the country's trade unions, but support from employer associations.
Belgium: Turbulent industrial relations follow new government agreement
06 Μάιος 2015
The fourth quarter of 2014 was particularly turbulent for industrial relations in Belgium following measures brought in by the new federal government which the unions considered unacceptable. Power struggles developed between unions and government, and between unions and employers, over strikes and ways to narrow the salary gap between Belgium and other countries.
Belgium: Preventing psychosocial risks at work
16 Δεκέμβριος 2014
New laws in Belgium to combat psychosocial risks in the workplace became effective on 1 September 2014. These laws update previous legislation enacted in 1996 and 2007, introducing a wider definition of ‘psychosocial risks’ that includes violence and harassment at work. It also deals with the development of new ways of ameliorating these risks.
New work voucher scheme under scrutiny
24 Μάρτιος 2014
Belgium’s service voucher scheme, introduced in 2001, has many different
objectives. It is designed to help reduce undeclared work, create new jobs
and give vulnerable workers access to employment. The scheme is defined in
Article 2 of the law of 20 July 2001 in favour of ‘proximity services and
employment’. It consists of a payment coupon issued by the company Sodexho
which allows the users, with the help of a state subsidy, to pay for
housework services. The real cost of a voucher is €22.04 for each hour of
work.
New collective agreement on temporary agency work
02 Φεβρουάριος 2014
Various types of temporary work in Belgium have different contractual
agreements. These include paid training schemes, student jobs, occasional
work, service vouchers, apprenticeships, fixed-term contracts and temporary
agency work [1]. Most of these work contracts are partly or fully covered by
Collective Agreement 36 of 27 November 1981.
[1] www.eurofound.europa.eu/ef/observatories/eurwork/industrial-relations-dictionary/temporary-agency-work
Agreement gives equal status to blue- and white-collar workers
06 Ιανουάριος 2014
The term ‘blue-collar worker’ was introduced at the very beginning of the
20th century to describe manual workers. Two decades later, the term
‘white-collar worker’ appeared, describing employees who were engaged in
work requiring predominantly mental, rather than physical, effort. During the
last 20 years, establishing equality between these two statuses has been key
to Belgian industrial relations. In recent years, technological developments
and the evolution of job functions have ‘blurred’ the distinction between
blue- and white-collar workers that had previously been clearly defined.
Steel giant’s restructuring galvanises opposition
13 Αύγουστος 2013
Management at Belgian steel giant ArcelorMittal [1] have been wrestling with
the problems of a global decline in demand for a number of years.
[1] http://www.arcelormittal.com/corp/
Economic crisis puts social dialogue in disarray
07 Μάρτιος 2013
More than 1,200 bankruptcy proceedings were begun in Belgium in October 2012
according to consultancy firm Graydon [1], a leader in commercial and
marketing information and credit and debt management. This was an increase of
7.18% compared with October 2011.
[1] http://www.graydon.be
Protests over reform to benefits system
07 Ιανουάριος 2013
On 19 June 2012, 600 people took part in a demonstration in front of the
headquarters of Belgium’s National Employment Office (ONEM/RVA [1]) over
reforms to the benefits system. The protest was organised jointly by the
three Belgian unions, the Confederation of Christian Trade Unions (ACV
[2]/CSC [3]), the Belgian General Federation of Labour (ABVV/ [4] FGTB [5])
and the Federation of Liberal Trade Unions of Belgium (ACLVB [6]/CGSLB [7]).
[1] http://www.rva.be/home/menufr.htm
[2] http://www.acv-online.be/
[3] http://www.csc-en-ligne.be/
[4] http://www.abvv.be/web/guest/home-nl
[5] http://www.fgtb.be/web/guest/home-fr
[6] http://www.aclvb.be/home
[7] http://www.cgslb.be/home/