Federal civil servants will receive meal vouchers from 1 January 2024, Public Service Minister Petra De Sutter (Flemish Greens) has announced. They will not have to wait until April 1 as originally planned.
A preliminary agreement reached in June 2022 provided for both a pay rise and meal vouchers for civil servants from the end of 2022. During budget negotiations last October, however, the government decided to postpone the measure until spring 2024, much to the dismay of the unions.
Meal vouchers will now finally be granted from the start of next year. Per civil servant, this represents some €1,000 net per year.
"The salaries of federal public staff are index-linked, but no real pay rise has been granted for 20 years, while pressure to work has increased considerably in many places. Nothing had been done to reward the work of these people and give them more at the end of the month. Now that's changing," said De Sutter.
