Newsflash
Tax and social security

In its recent budget proposals, the Government notably presented a range of drastic measures that will have an impact in the field of human resources. We will follow how things evolve and come back to the matter when the relevant texts will be available. Nevertheless, we would like to draw your attention to certain elements already now.

IPA - Salary Margin 2013-2014

The Government is insisting that the social partners accept that the Interprofessional Agreement (IPA) 2013-2014 only provides remuneration increases for indexation and the application of wage scales.

The Government will also ensure the approval of the legislative proposal that will oblige the social partners to take account not merely of the foreseen evolution of so-called "salary costs" in the next few years in Belgium and neighbouring countries, but also of the actual evolution of salary costs during the past two years in Belgium.

The Government announced that additional checks should ensure more efficient control of every Collective Agreement (CCT/CAO), employment contract or unilateral engagement that provides or causes an increase of gross wages. The sanctions mechanism provided by the Wage Moderation Act will be adapted. The Government is also discussing the possibility to link the announced reductions of social charges to the conclusion of collective agreements that are in conformity with the established wage standards.

IPA- Modernization of the Labour Market

The Government will formulate concrete proposals regarding flexible work schedules, part-time contract addendums, the operational regime that gives priority to part-time workers when it comes to filling functions with a higher number of working hours, the annualization and the additional hours, unless the social partners succeed in elaborating their own the proposals by January 2013.

Blue-collar and white-collar workers

Finally, the Government reiterated its request to the social partners to elaborate a solution regarding the issue of the status of blue- and white-collar workers by the end of March.

> Action point

These measures are not yet sufficiently precise or must still be developed by the social partners. We are following all these points as closely as possible and will come back to them.