Newsflash
Termination of employment

The Act of 1 January 2011 published on 7 February in the Belgian Official Gazette extends two of the five anti-crisis measures that were introduced in 2009.

Measures that have been renewed for a period of two months ending on 31 March 2011, and are extended again until 31 May 2011:

  • temporary and collective schemes to completely or partially suspend the employment contracts of white-collar workers (economic unemployment of white-collar workers);
  • grant of a crisis-related premium to dismissed blue-collar workers

Any blue-collar worker whose contract is terminated by the employer during the period of validity of this measure (excluding dismissals during the trial period, for serious reason, with a view to retirement or early retirement, in mutual agreement, due to the expiry of a fixed-term contract, or in case of collective dismissal) are entitled to a crisis-related premium of EUR 1,666 borne by the National Employment Office and/or the employer.

The following measures will cease to have effect on 1 February 2011:

  • temporary and collective reduction in working time, with or without introduction of the four-day week;
  • the "restructuring card" (with respect to workers dismissed following a bankruptcy) and targeted reduction in social security contributions paid by the employer;
  • the system of temporary and individual reduction in working time to cope with the crisis (crisis-related time credit). 
  •