Wages in Belgium are rising 6 percent faster than in neighboring countries | Economie

The “Technical Report on Maximum Available Margin for Labor Cost Development” issued by CRB has traditionally been the starting point for biennial wage negotiations between employers and unions. The report looks at the wage surcharge margin, on top of the indicator. Then follow the negotiations between the social partners, which can lead to an agreement between the professionals.

However, it has been clear for some time that there will be no wage margin for 2023-2024. Unions are protesting fiercely against this – Wednesday is a working day and strike – while employers say the situation is already dire for many companies due to the automatic indexing.

The report officially confirms the absence of a margin. Even negative, it seems. For this purpose, on the one hand, the expected indicators in Belgium, a correction term (1.9 per cent, which corresponds to the wage cost barrier that existed in 2022, ed.) and a safety margin of 0.5 per cent, have been compared, on the other hand, a cost evolution Expected hourly wages in neighboring countries.

The Group of Ten, the main advisory body to unions and employers, had already announced on Monday that it had not reached an agreement on the wage standard. The ball is now in the government’s court.