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What’s new?
Following a Constitutional Court decision in 2011, the Belgian legislator had until
8 July 2013 to end the difference between the way it treats blue- and white-collar
workers on two accounts:
• the notice period in case of termination; and
• the absence of a guaranteed salary for the blue-collar worker’s first day of sick leave
(the so-called waiting day).
The court found the relevant legal provisions discriminatory (so non-constitutional)
but decided to keep them until 8 July 2013, to give the legislator time to harmonise
its treatment of the two kinds of workers.
Employer and trade union representatives negotiated a solution in July, which the
government then turned into a draft law. The law was voted on in late 2013 by parliament,
and it came into force on 1 January 2014. The Employment Contracts Act of 3 July 1978 (ECA)
has been amended accordingly. It introduces a new way to calculate the notice period for all
workers. As expected, blue-collar workers will see their notice period (or termination
indemnity paid in lieu) increase, and white-collar workers will see theirs decrease.
These new rules supersede the change in law brought about by the law of 12 April 2011,
which came into force in 2012 and affected employment contracts that started on or after
1 January 2012.
• the minimum statutory notice for white-collar workers was three months for each
(started) period of five years’ service. Employees whose annual gross salary was more
Satya Staes Polet than €32,254 were entitled to longer notice periods – often calculated according to the
Principal Associate
T +32 2 504 7594 ‘Claeys formula’.
E satya.staespolet@freshfields.com
For new contracts that started on or after 1 January 2012:
Jean-François Gerard
Head of Practice Development • minimum statutory notice of between 28 and 129 days for blue-collar workers, depending
T +32 2 504 7697
E jean-francois.gerard@freshfields.com on length of service and without prejudice of specific sector-level provisions;
• roughly 30 days’ notice for each year of service for employees who used to earn more
than €32,254, with a minimum of three months.
Phase 2
The new regime applies to service years accrued from 1 January 2014.
The total notice period is made up of the notice periods accrued under phases 1 and 2.
The same rule applies to blue-collar workers. But because this would lead to continued
discrimination for blue-collar workers under current employment contracts, they will be
entitled to an additional dismissal indemnity paid by the state. This indemnity is equal to
the difference between the notice or payment in lieu calculated on the basis of the transition
rules and the notice or payment in lieu that would apply if the new rules applied to their
whole service. Blue-collar workers who are not entitled to this dismissal indemnity will
still be entitled to a so-called dismissal allowance. Other rules apply in specific sectors.
• if the employer has not given the alleged reasons for the dismissal, it must provide
supporting evidence that the dismissal was not clearly unreasonable; and
• the employee who has not asked for the reasons for the dismissal must provide
supporting evidence that the dismissal was clearly unreasonable if (s)he wants
to claim any indemnification.
The CBA does not apply to dismissals during the first six months of service, interim
contracts, student contracts, dismissals with a view to access the early retirement regime,
dismissals with a view to retirement, dismissals within the framework of restructurings,
dismissals subject to a statutory procedure and dismissals for gross misconduct.
Belgium remained one of the few European countries where dismissals did not have
to be justified. But with these new rules, Belgium has ended this situation.
While the new dismissal rules should put an end to the discussions around the length
of notice or the amount of payment in lieu, the newly introduced obligation of justification
will, conversely, trigger new forms of discussions before court. It is expected that parties
will try to avoid such discussions by settling on the justification for the dismissal,
in exchange for an additional indemnity.
Waiting day
From 1 January 2014, blue-collar workers will receive their guaranteed salary from the first
day of sick leave.
Unresolved issues
We are far from full harmony between blue- and white-collar workers’ statuses. So for now
differences will remain, and these could lead to other decisions from the Constitutional
Court and more changes.
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© Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer LLP, March 2014, 00444