Belgian unions split on two-year national deal


The national pay deal, agreed by union negotiators in February (see Workplace Report, March 2019, page 8) has been rejected by the FGTB, the second largest of Belgium’s three union confederations. 


However, while this means that the agreement itself, which provided 1.1% increase on top of inflation over two years, cannot be ratified, the terms of the pay increase will be imposed by government decree. 


Many of the other aspects of the deal, including higher employer contributions to travel to work costs, an increase in the overtime limit from 100 to 120 hours a year and new arrangements for older workers cutting their hours, were agreed between unions and employers in the national labour council on 23 April.


The CSC, the largest union confederation, which backed the deal, says that industry and company-level negotiations can now begin.