A collective labour agreement (CLA) securing a pay increase for nearly 100,000 domestic workers in the private sector has been signed, unions announced on Thursday, almost six weeks after an initial deal was reached.
Last month, unions raised concerns over delays in signing the agreement by employers’ federation Federgon, which meant most workers did not receive the promised raise in July. While some service voucher companies had already made the payments, most workers were left waiting. Although the overdue payments would eventually be made retroactively, unions described the delay as “unacceptable.”
The agreement is now official. Unions ABVV, ACV, and ACLVB confirmed in a press release that all companies are legally required to implement the new pay scales starting immediately for work carried out in Flanders and Wallonia. Employers who failed to pay the raise in July must compensate workers retroactively.
Due to the absence of a regional government in Brussels, the agreement currently applies only to Flanders and Wallonia. However, unions are committed to extending the pay increase to workers in Brussels. “We have scheduled a meeting with Brussels Labour Minister Bernard Clerfayt to continue negotiations. Our fight will go on to ensure Brussels workers receive the same pay rise as their colleagues,” the unions stated.
