Tags: Employment

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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October 31, 2022

Transparent and predictable working conditions (part 3): new rights for employees (and new obligations for employers)

Our two previous blogs explained that Belgium has finally transposed the EU Directive on transparent and predictable working conditions into national law. The new Belgian Act of 7 October 2022 (voted upon in parliament on 29 September 2022) has been published in the Belgian State Gazette of today (31 October) and thus enters into force […]

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October 20, 2022

Transparent and predictable working conditions (part 2): be sure to inform your employees

Our blog of 17 October 2022 explained that Belgium has finally transposed the EU Directive on transparent and predictable working conditions into national law. That first blog (in this series of three) elaborated on the right of employees to request a form of employment that is more predictable and secure. This second blog focuses on the principle of transparency […]

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October 14, 2022

Transparent and predictable working conditions: the ‘must know’ points for employers

An EU Directive was published in 2019 that obliges the Member States to guarantee, on the one hand, an improvement in employment conditions by enforcing more transparent and predictable employment conditions, and, on the other hand, increasing the flexibility in the labour market. Belgium has finally transposed this EU Directive with not one but two legal instruments: namely, […]

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October 13, 2022

Belgium’s implementation of the EU Directive on the posting of drivers in the road transport sector: What is the impact for employers posting drivers to and from Belgium?

With the Act of 19 June 2022, Belgium has implemented EU Directive 2020/1057 on the posting of drivers, by providing, amongst other things, adjustments to the Posting Act of 5 March 20021. Not only foreign posting employers are impacted as the Act of 19 June 2022 has also introduced a new information obligation for Belgian […]

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