“Four-day” week, training, e-commerce… After weeks of discussion, the government reached an agreement overnight from Monday to Tuesday, on a vast reform of the labor market.
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The Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy and Labour, Pierre-Yves Dermagne (PS) @BELGAIMAGE
The Select Ministerial Committee bringing together the Prime Minister and the Deputy Prime Ministers of the federal government reached an agreement, during the night of Monday to Tuesday, on a reform of the labor market. A press conference is scheduled for Tuesday morning.
On Twitter, the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy and Labour, Pierre-Yves Dermagne (PS), announces that the reform of the labor market is ” validated in kern » and salute concrete progress for all workers: concrete right to training, protection of platform workers, work-life balance and measures to boost employment”.
Objective: an employment rate of 80%
Still on Twitter, the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Justice, Vincent Van Quickenborne (Open VLD) said he was satisfied with the agreement obtained, described as ” boost for the economy ». « With things we’ve been fighting for for a long time.”adds the Flemish liberal minister, referring to greater freedom for workers, more flexibility for employers and the fact that dismissal becomes “ a springboard to a new job ». As for e-commerce, it is here to stay and to grow”according to the Kortrijk.
Prime Minister Alexander De Croo and Ministers Dermagne, Frank Vandenbroucke (Social Affairs) and David Clarinval (Independents) will detail the agreement reached during a press conference, scheduled for Tuesday at 9.15 a.m., in the press room ( the “bunker”) at 16 rue de la Loi. The agreement reached includes measures that should allow Belgium to reach an employment rate of 80% by 2030. Currently, the employment rate barely exceeds 71% in our country, with strong regional disparities .
Work in e-commerce made easy
Sources close to the federal government say that the new measures will allow workers who so wish to work more hours a day, in exchange for an additional day off. A full-time job can thus be worked over four days. It would also be possible to work more in one week and less in another. According to La Libre, this week of “four days” will however be subject to the prior agreement of the employer (who will have to justify a possible refusal).
Measures also concern the right to training for workers, which will be reinforced, and better support for those made redundant. Workers could already be working during their notice period for another employer. And the focus will be even more on the outplacement of workers with long notice. Evening work in the e-commerce sector will be made easier and workers in the platform economy, such as Deliveroo and Uber, will be better protected. This last point was a difficult knot to cut between the government partners.
Finally, measures should increase the autonomy of the Regions in terms of the availability of job seekers, while monitoring around shortage occupations and diversity in sectors and companies will be reinforced.
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