Belgian trade union organisations and employers have agreed a cross-sector deal for 2017-2018, paving the way for a 1.1% annual pay rise, outside automatic wage indexation.
With the last such agreement dating back to 2009, the deal marks the renewal of Belgium’s social dialogue system. Unions say it offers a solid base for sectoral and company-level negotiations.
The agreement also addresses the right to early retirement following collective redundancies due to company restructuring. The age limit remains at 55 until 2019, when it will go up to 60. The social partners’ accord was approved by the Belgian government in February.
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Photo credit: Simon Blackley