Belgium's federal government on Friday approved a plan to fight social fraud in 2023-2024, focussing on the parcel delivery sector and platform workers, and including the hiring of additional inspectors.
"We are going to curb social dumping and human trafficking," Labour Minister Pierre-Yves Dermagne was quoted as saying in a press release.
The plan will focus on the parcel delivery sector, where a number of serious abuses have been reported recently, such as the use of underage workers. Some 168 additional inspectors are to be hired while about 375 inspections will be carried out in 2023, and as many in 2024.
The social inspectors will also work more closely with the justice system to prevent any exploitation of workers.
Additionally, the government intends to oblige delivery companies, both Belgian and foreign, to better declare serious work accidents involving their personnel, including posted workers, whether self-employed or not.
Such accidents are often not reported to the administration. On Friday, Minister Dermagne promised a solution to put an end to this "statistical blind spot."
Last Spring, several executives of the Belgian subsidiary of the Dutch operator PostNL were arrested by Antwerp police on suspicion of exploiting subcontractors.
