Job creation focus for Flemish social partners

In late 1997, the Flemish social partners are negotiating an agreement on employment policy, in a move strongly supported by the Flemish Government. The initiative puts pressure on the Federal Government to ensure a coherent national employment policy for the whole country.

In late 1997, the Flemish social partners took the initiative to negotiate a social agreement for the Flanders region covering the years 1998-2000. This step is rather significant as it follows several years of failing to reach a federal social agreement for the whole country (BE9710117F), in the context of clear differences of opinion between the Flemish and Walloon social partners and the government parties.

This type of agreement is not typical in Belgium, but they traditionally belong to the realm of federal policy and are negotiated between the representatives of the national social partners and are then recognised by the Federal Government. With this latest initiative the Flemish social partners have sent a strong signal to Brussels that firm and timely action is expected in view of the long-standing debates on employment creation, employment costs, wages and so on.

The budget for the proposed Flemish plan is as follows:

• BEF 900 million for employment creation in the non-profit sector;

• BEF 1.7 billion to provide extra means for existing employment redistribution measures, including early retirement schemes, part-time employment, temporary leave and so on;

• BEF 300 million to be invested in repairing and maintaining Flemish roads through the employment of new workers;

• BEF 80 million to support specific personnel needs in education; and

• BEF 3.3 billion to be used primarily to support measures to cut labour costs in companies that create new employment.

The Flemish social partners hope that the results of the November 1997 EU Jobs Summit in Luxembourg will provide further impetus for the national Government to move into the direction indicated by the Flemish negotiations (BE9711223F).