The N-VA party has proposed a new law that would allow employees in Belgium to accumulate statutory vacation days during the current year, rather than based on the previous year’s work.
Axel Ronse, the party leader, introduced the bill, which was discussed for the first time in the Chamber on Tuesday. The proposal aims to eliminate the need for young people in their first jobs to rely on lower-paid youth holidays.
Ronse explains that, unlike Belgium, most other EU countries allow employees to accrue vacation days in the same year they work. Currently, Belgian workers earn statutory holidays based on the number of days worked in the previous year. This means that young individuals starting their first job do not automatically have vacation rights and often resort to youth holidays, receiving only 65% of their gross salary. Additionally, those changing jobs might not have holiday rights in their first year. Belgium has been criticised by several European bodies for this system. Notably, public sector employees in Belgium already earn vacation days based on current year performance.
The N-VA’s proposal seeks to align Belgian regulations with EU guidelines by allowing workers to earn vacation days during the year they work. This was discussed for the first time in the Social Affairs Committee on Tuesday.
The proposal also includes simplifying holiday pay disbursement. Currently, employers pay holiday amounts directly to employees, but for workers, this comes via a deduction and later disbursement by the National Office for Annual Vacation and holiday funds. Ronse suggests direct disbursement to all employees. He argues that this reform would save costs by eliminating the National Office for Annual Vacation, holiday funds, and schemes like supplementary or youth holidays, while reducing administrative burdens.
