In July 2002, new legislation came into force in Belgium, aimed at tackling violence, bullying and sexual harassment at work. At the time, the law was strongly criticised by employers, which believed that it created too much room for abuse. In late 2003, both employers’ organisations and trade
A national 'conference for employment' convened by Belgian government in September 2003 brought together representatives of the various levels of government and of the social partners, with the aim of developing a series of structural measures to boost employment. The conference resulted in
In October 2003, the European management of Ford announced that 3,000 jobs would be cut at its car assembly plant in Genk, Belgium, with Ford Europe's major financial losses cited as the immediate reason. A previously announced investment of EUR 900 million in the factory will not be made, and trade
In June 2003, after talks between employers, trade unions and the regional government, the Council of the Brussels-Capital Region approved an order on the management of the region's labour market. The measure provides for the 'mixed' management of the labour market, involving both the regional
In April 2002, social partner representatives on Belgium's National Labour Council signed a national collective agreement on the protection of the private lives of employees with respect to controls on electronic on-line communications data. The agreement - thought to be the first such initiative in
Late 2001 saw three days of strikes at the Belgian Post Group, in protest against management's plans to close smaller post offices and reduce the number of sorting centres in advance of EU-wide liberalisation of postal services.
Belgium is one of the few EU countries where pay is automatically linked to the cost of living, and in late January 2002 the slumbering debate on the issue flared up again. The cause was the abolition of the TV and radio licence fee in the Flanders and Brussels regions. Employers and trade unions
In November 2001, Belgium's National Labour Council concluded a collective agreement which introduces a right to breastfeeding breaks at work for nursing mothers from July 2002. Employers must provide a suitable area for employees who wish to use this right. The agreement brings Belgian provisions
Teachers in the Flemish education system went on strike for three days in October 2001. The trade unions involved were protesting against the plan of the Flemish Minister of Education, Marleen Vanderpoorten, to increase the early retirement age for teachers from 55 to 58 years. Her stated aim is to
In September and October 2001, Belgian clinical biologists, radiologists and kidney specialists were due to strike for a total of 12 days. They were primarily protesting against 'unusual' savings and budget over-run recovery measures being applied to their sector.