As already discussed this week, there's no escaping the holiday mood. If you haven't yet put work on pause, you'll likely be taking a break at some point – though there's plenty to entertain those who stick around (or tourists on holiday).
But all vacations come with the reciprocal reality that time off is a finite resource, to be measured carefully across the course of the year. In Belgium, trade unions now say that it is too finite, asserting that employees don't have enough annual leave to recharge from occupations that prioritise productivity without due consideration for the human effort.
Pointing to the breakdown of barriers between work and leisure, the union attests to a "deep aspiration for quality, arranged time off" – a desire that is increasingly unsatisfied by the annual allowance guaranteed by Belgian law, which is 20 days (the EU minimum). Add in national holidays and this rises to 30.
This still isn't that much, they say, especially not if you look at neighbouring countries: France, the UK, and Luxembourg all have an extra week of free time when public holidays are included. Surely a few extra days could be granted?
Whilst many in Belgium already enjoy more than the 20-day minimum, this is not a legal stipulation and unions argue that depending on the benevolence of employers to voluntarily allow more annual leave has led to a disparity in the amount of holiday people receive. Proponents point out that Belgium's minimum number of leave days has not risen since 1974 and that all the while technology has encroached on our personal lives.
In the same way that companies are forever seeking ways of maximising efficiency, a similar logic is now applied to optimising holidays as people stress to make every minute of their time off count. Would a few more spare days change this mindset?
Let @Orlando_tbt know.
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1. Belgium's big break? Largest trade union calls for five more vacation days
Belgium's largest trade union federation has called on the Federal Government to increase the national minimum number of vacation days from 20 to 25 per year. Read more.
2. 'Interim' agreement reached for extension of nuclear reactors
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3. Surely not? Bizarre Belgian laws that still exist today
With its complex language divide and convoluted system of governance that confuses visitors (and nationals), Belgium has something of a reputation for rules that can only be explained by the "That's so Belgian" refrain. Read more.
4. Belgian murderer on the loose captured thanks to two French holidaymakers
Adrien Rompen, convicted Belgian murderer and prison escapee, has been recaptured in Spain after an unlikely turn of events involving a pair of French holidaymakers who inadvertently spent five days with the convicted murderer. Read more.
5. France remains Belgium's most popular holiday destination
France has been renamed Belgians' most popular holiday destination, with almost one-third of all Belgians' trips abroad being to their country's southern neighbour. Read more.
6. Homelessness in Brussels increased significantly
The umbrella organisation for homeless persons in the Belgian capital, Bruss’help, counted 7,134 people in its latest tally of homeless and poorly housed people in the Brussels Region. Read more.
7. From Russia with no love
“I tried to leave. I dreamt of escaping. I planned. I plotted my escape ever since I can remember. Read more.
