After months of negotiations, the Government of Brussels and its social partners have concluded an 11-million-euro agreement aimed at improving the working conditions of close to 14,000 employees (in full-time equivalence), the regional government announced on Wednesday in a press release. The accord includes increased allowances and improved coverage of home-to-work transport costs, the expansion of measures related to well-being in the workplace, additional vacation days for some sectors and a review of workload-reduction mechanisms.
It was approved on Thursday by the administrations in charge of community matters in the regional territory, the French Community Commission (COCOF) and the Joint Community Commission (COCOM), and its effects will be felt from this year.
Regional Premier Rudi Vervoort and Fadila Laanan, Secretary of State for the COCOF, stressed the importance of the accord for social dialogue. For its part, the public service branch of the Confederation of Christian Trade Unions (CSC), said it was “more than satisfied” by the negotiations and their result.
Adapted work enterprises (ETA), home care and nursing homes have been particularly revalued, according to the Minister in charge of Assistance to Individuals, Céline Fremault.
Since ambulatory services are used by an increasingly numerous and needy public, the quality and creation of health-related jobs have been strengthened in the accord, added Health Minister Cécile Jodogne.
For his part, the Minister in charge of Professional Training, Didier Gosuin, highlighted the strengthening of the status of employees, including those in the sectors transferred after the sixth reform of the State.
The Brussels Times
