Employers publish open letter to candidates in general and European elections

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In the run-up to the general and European Parliament elections on 13 June 1999, the Belgian employers' organisation, FEB/VBO, published an open letter to all candidates in which it advocates more flexible employment contracts and working time legislation, reductions in employers' social security contributions and measures to increase the supply of workers.

Two months before the date of the combined Belgian general election and the European Parliament election on 13 June 1999, the social partners began to announce their priorities to the various political parties. The Federation of Belgian Enterprises (Fédération des Entreprises de Belgique/Verbond van Belgische Ondernemingen, FEB/VBO), for example, has published an open letter to all nominated candidates. The main employment-related demands include the following:

1. more flexible legislation on employment contracts, so that they become "collaboration contracts". Some of the responsibilities connected with work would thereby be transferred to employees themselves, who would thus acquire a status closer to that of the self-employed. In the same vein, workers' protection should be reduced, in particular by reducing the periods of notice that must be given on termination of contract, and there should be an increase in the early retirement age;

2. working hours should be calculated on an annual basis and regulation of part-time work should be more flexible. The concept of "atypical work" should be abolished by standardising all forms of work under the relevant social regulations. The state should partly finance vocational training, which should be organised outside working hours;

3. employee financial participation should be increased and facilitated and employers should be free to decide on its form without the necessity to sign a collective agreement. The tax status of workers' financial participation should be on the same footing as that of shareholders.

4. with regard to vocational integration and training, there should be more reliance on the expertise of the various sectors of industry, and their needs should be taken more into account. The supply of training should be rationalised;

5. in order to increase the supply of workers on the labour market, there should be a time limit on entitlement to social security benefits (BE9901161F). To promote job creation, further reduction of the gap between gross and net income must be encouraged, by reducing employers' social security contributions.

Besides these policies on the labour market and industrial relations, the employers' organisation also set out its views on issues relating to the running of companies and the role of government.