Tags: Employment

August 17, 2023

Help! The social elections 2024 are close now… so be fully prepared!

The next Social Elections will take place between 13 and 26 May 2024. If this period still seems far away, then a first set of written information should already be provided to the representative bodies and to the employees by as early as mid-December 2023 as a first step in the election procedure.

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The fight against social dumping: the Flemish government optimises contractor chain responsibility schemes in case of illegal employment

In the aftermath of some highly-publicised social dumping cases in the media, the Flemish government has proposed a zero tolerance policy for bogus posting set-ups involving illegal employment, especially if they involve exploitation and “smart” contractor chain constructions.

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June 19, 2023

Psychosocial risks and discrimination at work: a ‘wind of change’ since 1 June 2023!

The rules governing discrimination and psychosocial risks at work have been revised to bring them in line with European legislation and the European Court of Justice’s recent case law.

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May 2, 2023

The recent tax and social security reforms on copyright income: what employers need to know

Following an intense debate, the legislator introduced a new tax scheme applicable to copyright income. Main raison for this initiative is the assumed abuse of the until then beneficial tax regime. Under the amended tax rules, employees still qualify for the special tax scheme, but with a stricter legal framework.

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April 26, 2023

Help… My employee receives equity-based benefits!

In the war for talent, employers continue to search for alternative remuneration schemes to attract ànd retain employees. Incentivising employees is increasingly done through the granting of equity-based benefits such as shares (options), subscription rights (warrants), RSUs, SARs, etc. However, this form of remuneration raises specific employment and social security law issues.

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April 25, 2023

Belgium confirms its adoption of the Framework Agreement on Cross-border Telework

Given the upcoming transition period expiry on 30 June 2023, the long-awaited Framework Agreement on Cross-border Telework was recently published.

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February 15, 2023

The reformed recognition procedure for dock workers… the end of a legal battle?

A new Royal Decree of 21 December 2022 substantially changes the recognition procedure for dock workers. This Royal Decree was issued in the aftermath of a long-standing legal battle initiated by two major players in the sector that challenged the very specific Belgian legislation on dock workers. Although the principle that dock work can only be carried out by recognised dock workers fully remains in place, the application process to become a recognised dock worker should now become (more) objective, non-discriminatory and transparent.

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February 10, 2023

Abolition of the reorientation indemnity’s (partial) reimbursement: a (significant) additional cost for employers conducting a collective lay-off

Employees terminated in the frame of a collective lay-off may participate in a redeployment cell, which helps them to find new employment. Any participating employee is entitled to a monthly reorientation indemnity equal to his/her salary inclusive benefits during a period of 3 or 6 months. The employer pays the reorientation indemnity. Until very recently, an employer could obtain a reimbursement from the unemployment office (“RVA”/“Onem”) for the amount of the reorientation indemnity exceeding the statutory indemnity in lieu of notice.

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December 7, 2022

Draft Belgian Whistleblowing Act now adopted in Parliament!

The draft Belgian Act on whistleblowing for the private sector, which transposes EU Directive 2019/1937 (‘the Whistleblowing Directive’) into national legislation, has finally been adopted in Parliament. The Act still has to be published in the Belgian State Gazette and will enter into force 2 months after its publication.

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November 23, 2022

New rules on medical force majeure and the medical certificate

A new Act, which includes various provisions on incapacity for work, was published in the Belgian State Gazette on 18 November 2022.

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November 22, 2022

Help … am I still up-to-date with the current trends in labour law?

The end of the year is a moment for both looking forward and back.

For 2022, given the multitude of new and important employment legislation that will have a significant impact on your day-to-day HR practice, how can you do that without feeling dizzy?

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November 10, 2022

The Labour Deal is published in the Belgian State Gazette

Today, 10 November 2022, the Labour Deal Act has – finally – been published in the Belgian State Gazette. You can, once again, find below our checklist of the obligations and possibilities for employers based on the Labour Deal Act, together with an indication of when each measure will enter into force. We discussed the […]

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