Concern over Belgian four-day week plan

Belgian unions have not welcomed the proposal from the government allowing workers to cut their working week from five to four days by increasing daily working time.

The CSC, Belgium’s largest union confederation, points out that many workers are already unable to keep up with the work rates imposed by employers. “Extending the working day will not help them at all,” it says.

The four-day week plan is part of a wider package of changes to employment rights, some of which — such as the right to disconnect and greater regulation of platform work — the unions have welcomed.