The wage agreement reached on Monday in the restricted council of ministers is “downright disappointing and harmful,” says Nieuw-Vlaamse Alliantie (N-VA) parliamentarian Björn Anseeuw.
“Once again, unemployment benefits are being increased. And once again, gross wage costs are increasing for the lowest wages,” the N-VA legislator noted.
The federal government has agreed on a conciliation proposal to salvage wage talks between unions and employers. As expected, automatic indexation will be retained, but the wage cushion will be zero for the next two years, regardless of the index.
However, companies that do well will be able to give a bonus of between €500 and €750 to their employees, as long as a sectoral agreement to this effect is reached.
The welfare package of just under €1 billion will be used in full, partly to raise the lowest benefits and pensions, but also to increase the minimum wage.
This is a “frankly disappointing and damaging wage agreement,” said N-VA’s Anseeuw, and “completely irresponsible when we know that wage costs are already rising much faster in Belgium than in our most important neighbours and trading partners.”
The government should “finally show solidarity with those who work in this country” by increasing net wages without increasing gross wage costs for employers, he argued. “It is always the fools who are in charge,” concluded the nationalist parliamentarian, whose party is in the opposition at the federal level.
