In March 2004, the EIRO national centres in 24 European countries were asked, in response to a questionnaire, to give a brief overview of their country's system for dealing with individual labour/employment disputes through the courts, along with data on: the volume of cases; the costs; the
From 1 January 2004, Belgium's 'service vouchers' scheme - which subsidises the employment of people to carry out household tasks - has been reformed, following a decision at the tripartite 'national conference for employment' in late 2003. The changes aim to create 25,000 jobs and to combat
In November 2003, the EIRO national centres in each EU Member State (plus Norway), were asked, in response to a questionnaire, to give a brief overview of: the procedures and costs involved in collective redundancies - ie the dismissal of a number of employees for economic/organisational reasons
Since 2000, a number of agreements have been signed in Belgium's not-for-profit sector - which includes healthcare and 'socio-cultural' activities - focusing on issues such as working time reductions, the harmonisation of employment statuses and pay scales, and the presence of trade union
In late March 2003, the social partners in the Belgian textiles sector signed a preliminary two-year collective agreement, implementing the national intersectoral agreement for 2003-4. The deal followed a breakdown in negotiations and several days of strike action over differences relating to wage
In December 2002, two bills aimed at combating racism and discrimination were amended by the Belgian Senate after being approved by the Chamber of Representatives. The first of these complements existing legislation on racism, while the second prohibits and sets out penalties for all forms of
In October 2002, the Ministry of Employment and Labour and the Construction Confederation employers' organisation signed a partnership agreement aimed at combating illegal working in the Belgian construction sector. The agreement provides for increased monitoring , an awareness-raising campaign, and
In autumn 2002, Belgium's French-speaking radio and television service, RTBF, launched a reform process known as the 'Magellan plan'. The aim is to modernise the organisational structure of RTBF and enable it to balance its finances, and the employment measures planned include 470 voluntary
At its congress in October 2002, Belgium's Confederation of Christian Trade Unions (CSC/ACV) focused on the issue of 'fair pay'. The whole issue of inequalities in resources and income was debated, and a range of proposals aimed at reducing these inequalities was adopted. The congress also prepared