Belgium

Unions mobilise over purchasing power

The three main trade union confederations, including their public sector affiliates, have been organising demonstrations across the country in protest at the erosion of purchasing power from the failure of pay indexation to keep up with rising prices and in some sectors - particularly local and regional government - the failure to implement regular indexation of salaries. Trade unions in Flanders have planned a demonstration for 24 June in Antwerp over the employers’ failure to discuss seriously the problem of purchasing power, particularly in the light of higher increases for top civil servants. Read more at > Flanders News (EN) And at > FGTB (FR) And at > ABVV (NL) Also at > CSC (FR) And at > ACV (NL)

Union criticises minister for proposing cut in recruitment

The CSC public services federation has attacked economy minister Vincent Van Quickenborne for arguing that public sector recruitment should be cut, with the filling of only one vacancy in every three. The union says that such a policy cannot be applied wholesale across the civil service without affecting service quality. It also points out that the minister fails to take account of the fact that around 40% of public sector workers are due to retire in the next five years and that there is an urgent need to respond to this with policies allowing for a transfer of knowledge and expertise from these older workers. Read more at > CSC (FR)

Unions call for better social dialogue at regional and local level

A local demonstration in Liège on 12 April and a march in Namur on 17 April reflect trade union discontent with local and regional social dialogue in Belgium. In Liège the local government unions were protesting over problems that were piling up because the municipality had failed to negotiate with them. Understaffing, pay and failure to regulate employment conditions were among the list of grievances. Meanwhile trade unions were also planning the Namur demonstration on 17 April in protest at the Walloon government’s failure to meet a commitment to increase the number of civil service posts in local government organisations across the region. Read more at > CSC (FR) And at > CSC (FR)

Confederation organises fourth equal pay day

The FGTB/ABVV organised its fourth equal pay day on 31 March in support of further measures to close the gender pay gap. The confederation adopted 31 March as the day in recognition of the 25% average pay gap between male and part-time female workers - this means that effectively women work for a quarter of the year for no pay. The FGTB/ABVV wants to see action take to improve childcare, for a re-evaluation of so-called feminine occupations, for better protection of part-time workers and for more attention to be paid to the issue of gender equality in education. Read more at > FGTB (FR) And in Dutch at

Electricity distribution workers strike over two-tier workforce

Electricity distribution workers in the Wallonia region have been involved in two weeks’ of industrial action involving working to rule, in protest at pay differentials in the industry. Unions say that new pay rates introduced since 2002 mean that many new employees are paid 30%-40% less than other workers who were taken on before 2002. Although the action has been called off and negotiations started, unions haven’t ruled out further action. Read more at > Lesoir (FR) And at > Lesoir (FR)

Civil servants in Flanders agree pay deal

Civil service unions have agreed to a 2% pay increase plus a reduced contribution to meal vouchers. The agreement follows a co-ordinated campaign of industrial action that hit different regions of Flanders at different times and that included in particular strike action by lock controllers that blocked canal traffic. Read more at > Flanders News website (EN)

Report finds 15% pay gap between men and women

A new report from the Belgian government says there is a 15% pay gap between men and women working full-time in the private sector. The report says that the pay gap is even wider when taking account of the fact that many more women than men work part-time and lose out because of their caring responsibilities. According to the report, the 15% pay gap puts Belgium fifth in a league table of European countries. Read more at > the VRT news website in English And > in French And > in Dutch And > in German

Non-profit sector deal finally signed

The threat of strike action by a common front of unions in the non-profit (health, housing and social services) sector in the Wallonia region of Belgium paid off last month. Employers in the sector finally signed the agreement that had been concluded between the unions and the regional government at the end of 2006. The agreement allows for increased spending over the 2007-2009 period with more jobs in the sector and improved holiday entitlement. Read more at > SETCA (FR)

Firefighters take protests to the streets

Belgian firefighters clashed with police on the streets of Brussels as they protested their demands for improved pay and conditions and proper recognition of their work as a dangerous profession. Read more at > Euronews (EN)

Unions in non-profit sector announce strike plan

Last November unions signed an agreement with the government of the Wallonia region of Belgium that would fund new jobs and better conditions in the non-profit sector covering health and social services. However, employers in the sector have rejected the agreement and now the trade unions (SETCa, CG, CNE, CSC Bâtiment, CGSLB, CASH) have announced plans for strike action beginning on 22 February with a demonstration organised for 23 February. Read more at > SETCA (FR)

Employers reject agreement in non-profit sector

Employers in the non-profit sector in the Wallonia region of Belgium have rejected a an agreement signed by the unions and the regional government last year. The non-profit sector covers various services including health, housing and social services and the agreement would have provided a range of benefits for the 19,000 workers. The employers have rejected particular elements of the deal including the creation of more jobs to allow employees to take more paid leave and extra finance to encourage trade union organisation and social dialogue in some of the smaller organisations in the sector. Read more at > SETCA (FR)

National demonstration over jobs, recruitment and organisation

Unions in the Belgian federal finance ministry have come together to co-ordinate a national demonstration in Brussels on 23 January. They are protesting about a range of issues related to jobs, recruitment and organisation in the department. The unions point out that current policies mean that only three workers are recruited for every five that leave the service. This means that staff are already under pressure and that this situation will deteriorate from January 2009 when recruitment will be cut to only one new worker for every two that leave. The unions have compiled a detailed dossier of issues that they want addressed including demands for proper procedures for promotion and training and establishing a proper process of social dialogue. Read more at > CGSP (FR) And at > ACOD (NL)

Private sector agreement for 2007-2008

Just before Christmas trade unions confederations and employers completed their negotiations on the two-year intersectoral agreement that covers the two million workers in the private sector. The confederations will now carry out their own internal consultations before confirming the agreement. The agreement covers a wide range of elements. It sets an indicative pay increase of 5% over the two years 2007-2008. This is arrived at following comparison with predicted pay developments in the neighbouring countries of France, Germany and the Netherlands. The agreement also lays down two €25 increases in the minimum wage in April 2007 and October 2008. This is the first time since 1993 that the minimum wage has been increased on top of the normal indexation. Read more at > ACV/CSC (FR) Read more at > ACV/CSC (NL)

Union federation reveals news pay gap statistics

The FGTB/ABVV union federation has released new statistics indicating the level of the gender pay gap in Belgium. Women’s pay is on average 26% less than men’s on a monthly basis and 18% lower in terms of hourly pay. The study indicates that there are a number of factors at work with women more likely to work part time and for small employers. They are also less likely to benefit from training. The data was collected using the website of the international wage indicator project www.monsalaire.be (FR) and www.mijnloon.be (NL) which is now available in 10 EU countries. Read more at > FGTB (FR) Read more at > ABVV (NL)

Belgian unions find evidence to support their claims in national negotiations

A report from the National Economic Council has provided unions with useful data to support their position in forthcoming negotiations over the national agreement for 2007-2008. Company profitability has reached the levels last seen at the end of 1980s and export growth is strong. The union also note that employers are failing to maintain spending on training and research and development, with training expenditure down to 1.02% of the salary bill in 2006 when employers should be raising it to 1.9%. Read more at > FGTB (FR) Read more at > ABVV (NL)

Strike at Lantin prison

The CSC and CGSP unions have organised a strike at Lantin prison supported by 70% of staff. The strike is over inadequate staffing, the state of the building and the fact that the prison has more inmates than it was built to hold. No progress was made at a meeting of union representatives and the government last week. Read more at > Le Soir (FR)

Unions begin to discuss strategies for national negotiations 2006-2007

The SETCA/BBTK services trade union has set out some of the key issues it thinks should feature in the trade unions’ demands in the forthcoming negotiations over the national agreement for 2006-2007. Above all it argues that an important theme of the negotiations should be solidarity among all workers whether currently active or not. The union’s background note on the negotiations points out that economic growth is reasonable at 2.7% while company profits grew by 45% between 19 and 2004. Top managers saw their pay increase by 12% last year and a director of a company quoted on the stock exchange is paid on average €1.5 million. SETCA/BBTK wants to see an increase in the minimum wage which is currently €1,310 for workers aged 22 and over (there are lower rates for different ages under 22). The minimum wage is increased each year in line with the general increase in salaries. However, it has not been increased since 1993. Read more at > SETCA (FR) And at > BBTK (NL)

Disputes surface again in non-profit sector

The SETCA/BBTK white-collar union is again calling for strikes and demonstrations over the failure of the Brussels and Wallonia regions to implement collective agreements in the non-profit sector covering health, housing and social care. In Wallonia unions have organised a demonstration on 28 September in Namur. They argue that insufficient funds are available to cover the increase in pay agreed for the 2005-2007 period. In Brussels the unions are building for a major demonstration on 5 October in support of a number of key demands including harmonisation with health sector agreements, compensation for travel to work by public transport and statutory employment status for all workers in the sector. Read more at > SETCA (FR) And at > SETCA (FR) And at > SETCA (NL)

New agreement in Flemish civil service

The industrial relations observatory EIRO reports that a new collective agreement in the Flemish civil service includes a wide range of changes to conditions with a particular focus on measures targeted at older workers. The measures include more training and development, options for telework, part-time work in the lead up to retirement, ending the tendency for older workers on sick leave to take early retirement and more opportunities for career breaks. Pay for civil servants is covered by an indexation agreement but the collective agreement does provide for higher end of year bonuses and lower paid civil servants will be the first to benefit from this. Read more at > EIRO (EN)

Unions strike over privatisation threat

EPSU affiliated unions CGSP, CSC Services Publics and SLPF are on strike in municipal electricity company Interelectra. They are protesting at plans to set up a private sector umbrella holding company which would mean that the public character of the company and the public character of the statute will disappear. The unions are fighting for democratic control by the municipality, public service obligations in public hands and oppose that 75 years of work is thrown away. Read more at > EPSU

General strike backed by all three union federations

Unions in Belgium continue to protest against government plans to end early retirement provisions. Following the general strike called by the ABVV-FGTB socialist federation on 7 October, all three federations came together to back a general strike on 28 October with an estimated 100,000 demonstrating in Brussels. Read more at > the VRT news website

Strike against increase in pension age

The FGTB/ABVV socialist union federation called a one-day general strike on Friday 7 October in protest at the government plans to cut back on early retirement so that workers will have to retire at 60 rather than have the option of retiring at 58. The Christian and Liberal union federations were still seeking further negotiations and although they didn’t join the strike call did express support for any joint action at local level. Read a report on the strike at > Business Week Read the FGTB/ABVV arguments at > FGTB And at > ABVV Read the other federations arguments at > CSC And at > CCOD And at > CGSLB And at > ACLVB

Prison guards’ dispute

Prison guards in Antwerp resumed strike action last week in protest over staffing levels and overcrowding. They had been providing a minimum service but decided to move to strike action at the weekend with a return to minimum service on Monday. Other prisons in Belgium were hit by strike action earlier this year over staffing levels and overcrowding. Read more at > the VRT news service And at > Le Soir newspaper

Gas and electricity pay increases

A pay increase of 1.78% backdated to January 2005 has been agreed in the gas and electricity sectors in Belgium according to the EIRO industrial relations observatory. A further increase of 0.4% will be implemented from October and in January 2006 the increase will be in line with the increase in prices. Read more at > EIRO

Progress in non-profit sector in Wallonia

The long-running dispute over pay, hours and employment in the health and social service sector in Belgium could be nearing its end as the government in the French-speaking area of the country, Wallonia, has agreed further funding. This ensures pay increases for many workers in the sector as were agreed as far back as 2000 but other workers may have to wait longer for their increases. [Read more at > SETCA-.http://www.setca.org/code/fr/newspage.cfm?id_news=542&tors=]